Senator Ted Cruz isn’t pulling punches. During a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on Tuesday, the Texas Republican put the U.S. Army on notice for stonewalling an investigation into the horrifying January 29th mid-air collision between a Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines passenger jet near Reagan National Airport — a crash that killed 67 people.

The blunt warning: turn over the internal memo explaining why the Army continues to fly military helicopters “blind” — with their location transponders turned off — or face a subpoena.

Cruz didn’t mince words. He told Army officials directly that if another fatal collision occurs due to this dangerous policy, the blood will be on their hands. The Black Hawk involved in January’s crash had its ADS-B — Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast — system switched off. That system is standard for tracking aircraft, and it’s mandatory for commercial planes. The military, thanks to a 2019 FAA exemption, doesn’t always use it — and that lack of transparency is now in the crosshairs.

“This is not acceptable,” Cruz declared. “What doesn’t the Army want Congress and the American people to know?”

What indeed.

Adding fuel to the fire, the Army last week flatly refused a bipartisan request from Cruz and Democrat Senator Maria Cantwell to produce the memo explaining why ADS-B was disabled during routine training near a major civilian airport. The Army’s silence only deepens concerns that it’s covering up reckless decisions that led to a preventable tragedy.

And Cruz isn’t bluffing. He pledged that if the Army doesn’t comply voluntarily, the committee will issue a subpoena to drag the truth into the open.

This isn’t just bureaucratic foot-dragging — it’s a life-or-death issue. According to recent revelations, the Black Hawk helicopter involved was flying higher than approved and was effectively invisible to commercial air traffic control systems when it slammed into the American Airlines jet. That kind of miscommunication is catastrophic in one of the country’s busiest airspaces, especially without ADS-B coordination.

The FAA has since changed course, now requiring ADS-B activation near Reagan National except in national security emergencies. But the question remains: why wasn’t this common-sense safety measure already in place?

And more importantly, why is the Army resisting full transparency?

Let’s be clear: no one is arguing against military readiness. But readiness cannot come at the cost of civilian lives. The very idea that a training exercise — not a combat mission — was conducted in such a high-traffic civilian airspace without proper tracking is beyond irresponsible.

The memo the Army refuses to release could answer critical questions. Was there internal disagreement about flying “blind”? Were warnings ignored? Who signed off on the decision to disable ADS-B that day? What steps, if any, were taken to coordinate with civilian air traffic controllers?

Until those questions are answered, Americans are right to be alarmed — and angry.

Cruz was right to draw a hard line. It’s not “anti-military” to demand accountability when 67 innocent people die in a fiery collision just minutes from the nation’s capital. What’s anti-American is shielding bad decisions behind a wall of secrecy.

It’s time for the Army to stop dodging and start explaining. Congress has a duty to find out exactly what happened — and to make sure it never happens again.

Because if this policy remains unchanged, and another tragedy strikes, Cruz is right: it won’t just be another accident. It’ll be negligence with a body count.