Senators seek to change bill that allows military to operate just like before the DC plane crash

Senators from both parties pushed Thursday for changes to a massive defense bill after crash investigators and victims' families warned the legislation would undo key safety reforms stemming from a collision between an airliner and Army helicopter over Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people. The head of the National Transportation Safety Board investigating the crash, a group of the victims' family members and senators on the Commerce Committee all said the bill the House advanced Wednesday would make America's skies less safe. Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell and Republican Committee Chairman Sen. Ted Cruz filed two amendments Thursday to strip out the worrisome helicopter safety provisions and replace them with a bill they introduced last summer to strengthen requirements, but it’s not clear if Republican leadership will allow the National Defense Authorization Act to be changed at this stage because that would delay its passage.