US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has blamed previous administrations and Congress for the outdated air traffic control system after a nationwide flight disruption on Friday. He has called for another $50 billion to upgrade the system, saying the $12.5 billion already approved by Congress is not enough.
Duffy points finger at past leaders
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has blamed earlier administrations and Congress for the poor state of America’s air traffic control system. His comments came after a nationwide ground stop on Friday that stopped all US flights and disrupted air travel across the country.
Speaking to CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, Duffy again asked Congress to approve another $50 billion to upgrade the system. He said years of too little investment have left key aviation equipment outdated, as per The Hill.
Deep Dive
Why is Sean Duffy asking Congress for another $50 billion to upgrade the FAA?
How did the FAA’s ageing air traffic control system contribute to the nationwide ground stop?
What outdated technology does the FAA need to replace?
When CNN asked if he was responsible for Friday’s disruption, Duffy did not give a direct answer. “I take responsibility for what was given to me by prior administrations,” he said.
“When we do work and things go wrong, of course I’m the secretary. But I also have to acknowledge what was delivered to me,” Duffy said. “I have systems that are from the 90s. I have radar that are from the 60s and 70s.”
{{/usCountry}}“When we do work and things go wrong, of course I’m the secretary. But I also have to acknowledge what was delivered to me,” Duffy said. “I have systems that are from the 90s. I have radar that are from the 60s and 70s.”
{{/usCountry}}Duffy says $12.5 billion is not enough to fix FAA problems
Duffy said the $12.5 billion Congress approved earlier is far too small. “$12.5 billion after decades of lack of investment is not nearly enough money to fix all the problems we have in the airspace,” he said, cited by The Hill.
He added that this money was set aside for specific work such as radios, radar and telecommunications equipment. It cannot be used for other problems.
He also spoke about the poor condition of air traffic control towers. he said some buildings have no working elevators or air conditioning, while others have leaking roofs.
On Fox News Sunday, Duffy said, “Congress gave us $12.5B, but they were very specific on how we can spend it. I have got money for radar and radio....But I have no money for new network, I don't have any new money to build new software to separate planes in the airspace. So, its interesting when they say i have all this money, yes, but they said specifically how I had to use that money.”
Democrats hit back
Democrats have asked why the Trump administration wants tens of billions of dollars more when it has used only a small part of the money it already got from Congress, according to The Hill.
Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) also spoke to CNN and rejected Duffy’s blame on Congress. He said Congress has given the administration what it asked for.
“It’s really rich to hear the secretary pointing the fingers at Congress when Congress has given the administration what they asked for,” Van Hollen said Sunday. “If they need more, they should come up and justify it. I will support what is necessary to have a safe system and a reliable system.”