[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 130 (Tuesday, July 29, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S4841]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 3096. Mr. CRUZ submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill S. 2296, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2026 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of subtitle B of title I, add the following:

     SEC. 112. AUTHORIZATION TO INITIATE EARLY PRODUCTION OF 
                   FUTURE LONG RANGE ASSAULT AIRCRAFT.

       (a) Authorization.--The Secretary of the Army may enter 
     into contracts, in advance of full-rate production, for the 
     procurement of not more than 24 future long range assault 
     aircraft as part of an accelerated low-rate early production 
     effort.
       (b) Objectives.--In carrying out the early production 
     effort described in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Army 
     shall pursue the following objectives:
       (1) To expedite delivery of future long range assault 
     aircraft operational capability to the warfighter.
       (2) To maintain momentum and learning continuity between 
     test article completion and full production ramp-up.
       (3) To stabilize and retain the specialized workforce and 
     industrial base supporting future long range assault 
     aircraft, including critical suppliers and production 
     facilities in Texas, Kansas, and other States.
       (4) To mitigate cost escalation risks and improve program 
     affordability across the life cycle.
       (c) Considerations.--In executing the authority provided by 
     subsection (a), the Secretary shall--
       (1) prioritize program continuity, cost-efficiency, and 
     workforce retention across the supply chain for tiltrotor 
     aircraft;
       (2) ensure that aircraft procured as part of the early 
     production effort described in subsection (a) incorporate 
     lessons learned from test article evaluations; and
       (3) maintain flexibility in design to accommodate future 
     upgrades through the modular open systems architecture and 
     digital backbone.
       (d) Report to Congress.--Not later than 180 days after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Army 
     shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report 
     detailing--
       (1) the implementation plan and timeline for the 
     procurement and early production effort described in 
     subsection (a);
       (2) the status of industrial base readiness and supply 
     chain coordination; and
       (3) estimated long-term cost savings and operational 
     benefits derived from such early production effort.
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