Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025
Public Law 119-18 · S. 160 · 119th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Jun 12, 2025 · Armed Forces and National Security
Sponsor: Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-MT)
Cosponsors (8): Sen. Martin Heinrich, Sen. Markwayne Mullin,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
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.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 956Identical billPublic law contains the text
Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 16 actions.
- Jun 12, 2025Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 119-18.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Jun 10, 2025FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Jun 3, 2025FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 160.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Comer moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Apr 9, 2025FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
- FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Apr 8, 2025FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Armed Services discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- Jan 21, 2025CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.
- Agreed to
S.Amdt. 2223SenateSen. Tim SheehyR-MT· offered Apr 8, 2025Agreed to
To modify the period for exercise of authority for the sale by the Department of Defense of aircraft and parts for wildfire suppression purposes.
Apr 8, 2025: Amendment SA 2223 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.