Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act reauthorizes the Department of Defense surplus-aircraft sale authority for wildfire suppression through October 1, 2035. It updates the permitted use of transferred aircraft so they may deliver water as well as fire retardant, while preserving the restriction that aircraft sold under the authority may be used only for wildfire suppression.
Who Benefits and How
Wildfire suppression contractors, state firefighting agencies, local fire agencies, and communities at wildfire risk benefit because surplus military aircraft and parts can continue to be sold for aerial firefighting fleets. The Department of Defense benefits by retaining authority to dispose of suitable surplus aircraft for a public-safety use.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Department of Defense must manage the aircraft sale program, confirm that aircraft and parts are sold for wildfire suppression, and apply the updated water-delivery authority. Purchasers must use the aircraft only for wildfire suppression rather than unrelated aviation work.
Key Provisions
- Extends the wildfire-suppression aircraft sale authority through October 1, 2035.
- Adds water delivery to the permitted aerial firefighting uses.
- Limits aircraft and parts sold under the authority to wildfire suppression.
- Preserves Department of Defense administration of surplus aircraft sales.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Reauthorizes DOD sale of surplus aircraft for wildfire suppression through October 2035.
Key Policy Areas
Wildfire, Defense, Emergency Management
Primary Purpose
Reauthorizes DOD sale of surplus aircraft for wildfire suppression through October 2035.
Policy Domains
Aerial Firefighting Enhancement
Identified Gains
- Wildfire suppression contractors
- State firefighting agencies
- Local fire agencies
- Communities at wildfire risk
Identified Costs
- Department of Defense
- Purchasers of surplus military aircraft
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
Signed into LawBecame Public Law No: 119-18.
Signed by President.
Presented to President.
Mr. Comer moved to suspend the rules and pass the …
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules …
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill …
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate …
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without …
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H2390)
Received in the House.
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Department of Defense, Firefighting agencies, State and local fire agencies
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology