U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy urged Congress to fund President Donald Trump’s push to modernize the nation’s air traffic control system, warning that delays could undermine efforts to strengthen aviation safety.
Trump Pushed Air Traffic Control
On Saturday, in a post on X, Duffy said modernizing air traffic control was not a partisan issue but a “national safety priority.”
He added, “Trump is leading the charge, and now we need Congress to step up with the resources to build a state-of-the-art system.”
In a video shared alongside the post, Duffy said Trump had instructed him to prioritize air traffic control modernization even before the January 2025 midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport that killed 67 people.
Duffy Calls Out Congress Over Modernization Funding
Duffy praised the bipartisan support for the initiative but expressed frustration over the lack of funding needed to move forward.
“When we have a president who’s willing to lean in and lead on an issue like this, and then if you look at the Congress, that you have both Democrats and Republicans who understand how important this is,” Duffy said.
He questioned how long the country would wait before replacing outdated systems, asking, “How long are we going to wait, America and Congress?”
He added that lawmakers needed to “lean in” and emphasized that modernization was a bipartisan responsibility.
FAA Restored Flights After Nationwide Outage
The FAA lifted its nationwide ground stop Friday after a nearly five-hour telecom outage disrupted departures.
Transportation Secretary blamed aging equipment, while Markwayne Mullin said officials found “zero evidence” of a cyberattack.
Duffy sought an additional $50 billion from Congress, warning that funding shortfalls could cause further disruptions.
FAA Hiring and Modernization Push
In August, Duffy said the FAA had hired more than 2,000 air traffic controllers through the Trump administration’s recruitment push targeting gamers, reaching 94% of its hiring goal.
Earlier this year, he highlighted progress in replacing outdated air traffic control technology, including paper flight strips and floppy disks, while seeking additional funding for software upgrades.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock
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