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S. 160 119th Congress Senate

Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025

Official title: A bill to amend the Wildfire Suppression Aircraft Transfer Act of 1996 to reauthorize the sale by the Department of Defense of aircraft and parts for wildfire … Show full official titleShow less

Official title: A bill to amend the Wildfire Suppression Aircraft Transfer Act of 1996 to reauthorize the sale by the Department of Defense of aircraft and parts for wildfire suppression purposes, and for other purposes.

Introduced: January 21, 2025 Introduced by: Tim Sheehy Republican · Montana See on congress.gov
Armed Forces and National Security Aviation and airportsFiresForests, forestry, treesMilitary assistance, sales, and agreements
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 Everywhere this bill has been 18 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jun 12, 2025
Signed by President.
Jun 12, 2025
Became Public Law No: 119-18.
Jun 10, 2025
Presented to President.
Jun 3, 2025
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
Jun 3, 2025
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H2390)
Jun 3, 2025
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H2390)
Jun 3, 2025
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 160.
Jun 3, 2025
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H2390)
Jun 3, 2025
Mr. Comer moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
Apr 9, 2025
Held at the desk.
Apr 9, 2025
Received in the House.
Apr 9, 2025
Message on Senate action sent to the House.
Apr 8, 2025
Senate Committee on Armed Services discharged by Unanimous Consent.
Apr 8, 2025
Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent. (text: CR S2480)
Apr 8, 2025
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
Apr 8, 2025
Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent. (consideration: CR S2480)
Jan 21, 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
Jan 21, 2025
Introduced in Senate
 Votes taken on this bill 3
DateChamberWhat was voted onResultYes–No
Feb 26, 2009 Senate · vote #73 On Passage of the Bill S. 160 Passed 61–37 See who voted →
Feb 25, 2009 Senate · vote #67 On the Point of Order S. 160 Not Sustained 36–62 See who voted →
Feb 24, 2009 Senate · vote #65 On Cloture on the Motion to Proceed S. 160 Agreed To 62–34 See who voted →
 Amendments to this bill 1

Amendments propose changes to this bill. Members vote on amendments separately before the final bill vote. An agreed amendment becomes part of the bill; a failed amendment does not.

1 agreed to

AmendmentSponsorPurposeStatusLatest action
SAMDT 2,223 Sheehy, Tim To modify the period for exercise of authority for the sale by the Department of Defense of aircraft and part… Agreed to Apr 8, 2025
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 Latest action June 12, 2025

Became Public Law No: 119-18.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025

This act reauthorizes the Department of Defense to sell its excess aircraft and aircraft parts that are acceptable for commercial sale for wildfire suppression purposes. Such authority begins June 12, 2025, and ends October 1, 2035.

The act also provides that such aircraft may be used to deliver water by air in order to suppress wildfire (the previous authority only provided for the delivery of fire retardant).

The act removes the previous limitation on providing international wildfire suppression assistance with such purchased aircraft.

 Related & companion bills 1
  • HR 956 Public law contains the text Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025
 Bill text 4 versions

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Lobbying activity 44

Registered lobbyists who named this bill in their disclosure filings. Source: federal Lobbying Disclosure Act filings.

Bodies those filers lobbied

A filing lists the bills it worked on and the parts of government it contacted in separate sections, so these are the bodies those filers named anywhere in the filing, not a per-bill breakdown.

See all 44 filings →
 Cosponsors 8
All 8 Democratic 5 Republican 2
D
Warnock, Raphael G.
Georgia · Apr 2, 2025
 D
Padilla, Alex
California · Apr 1, 2025
 R
Crapo, Mike
Idaho · Mar 6, 2025
 R
Risch, James E.
Idaho · Mar 6, 2025
 D
Kelly, Mark
Arizona · Feb 19, 2025
 D
Luján, Ben Ray
New Mexico · Feb 3, 2025
Mullin, Markwayne
· Feb 3, 2025
 D
Heinrich, Martin
New Mexico · Jan 21, 2025
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 160: Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025. 119th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-160/
MLA
"S. 160: Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025." 119th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-160/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 160, 119th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-160/.
Markdown link
[S. 160: Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025](https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-160/)
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