Representative Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ) is celebrating the Senate's passage of his Maverick Act.
The Maverick Act, which Rep. Hamadeh introduced in mid-April, carves out an exception to post-retirement protocols for old military hardware, preventing the last three F-14 Tomcat fighter jets from being destroyed.
Instead, these surviving crafts will be preserved and put on public display.
The bill is named after the character Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, who is played by Tom Cruise, from the 1986 action-drama film Top Gun, in which the F-14 is prominently featured.
The Senate companion bill was introduced by Senator Tim Sheehy (R-MT).
"I want to thank Senator Sheehy and his colleagues for passing this legislation aimed at preserving for history one of the most iconic aircraft ever flown," Rep. Hamadeh said in a press release. "As a former U.S. Army officer, I know that many of the men and women I served with felt the same way. That is why I proudly introduced this legislation. I am also grateful to the cosponsors of the bill in the House, who have already offered their enthusiastic support."
The Arizona congressman can also say he helped preserve five T-37 jet trainers from final destruction through an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2026 bill signed by President Donald Trump. The T-37 is a jet that has trained ace pilots, astronauts, and the first female aviators.
Last week, Hamadeh also introduced the Bolstering Recognition, Resurgence, Retention, and Remembrance of the Thunderbolt (BRRRRT) Act, which extends the sunset for active service of the A-10 "Warthog" close-support attack aircraft.
The bill's acronym is a cheeky onomatopoeic spelling of the A-10's 30-millimeter GAU-8/A nose-mounted Gatling gun firing, which Hamadeh said is "the most beautiful sound ever heard by troops under fire on the battlefield."
In addition to extending the Warthog's active service, the BRRRRT Actincludes provisions for the Air Force to submit a comprehensive report to Congress on the A-10's combat deployment, pilot training, communications, and other related measures to inform the development of future close air support systems.
