Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy asked Friday for $50 billion for a "complete overhaul" of the aging air traffic control system after a nationwide ground stop halted flights for hours, and Democrats quickly argued the administration already has money it has chosen to spend elsewhere, The New York Times reported in an account published by The Mercury News.
Duffy blamed Congress in large part for the state of the system. The request landed in the final days of Republican control on Capitol Hill. House Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox News on Saturday morning that he would try to add more FAA funding to an "aggressive legislative package" in the lame-duck session. "We don't really need any investigation to understand we need further investment," Johnson said. At a Friday night news conference, Duffy said the issue should not be partisan. "It's not Democrat, it's not Republican. It's American," he said. "Give us the money to fix it."
Democrats said the Trump administration had plenty of money it could put toward an outdated system and was using funds instead for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called Duffy's $50 billion request alarming, given that Republicans had "showered ICE with billions in funding." "If this administration is serious about aviation safety, it should stop making excuses and work with Congress to put taxpayer dollars where they're actually needed," Schumer said.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries blamed the breakdown on the administration. "From Day 1, instead of taking responsibility, MAGA extremists have fired and scapegoated hardworking federal employees whose job it is to keep our skies safe, particularly women and people of color," he said. House Democrats promised an investigation next year and told the committees overseeing homeland security and the TSA to "preserve all documents and emails," adding, "Oversight is coming." Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, the senior Democrat on the aviation subcommittee, also demanded a thorough investigation of the FAA.
Congress approved $12.5 billion last year for upgrades to air traffic communications, the Times reported. Republican lawmakers have introduced the Modern Skies Act in both chambers, a bill that would authorize another $30 billion, including about $10.1 billion for air traffic control modernization, $10 billion for control towers and airport improvements, and $10 billion for an aging terminal pilot program. The bill has no Democratic co-sponsors. On Friday night, Democrats said the airport crisis was caused by how the administration had allocated money and overseen the FAA.
The fight is now both about money and about blame for Friday's stop, the longest nationwide ground halt since 2001. Johnson wants more funding in a lame-duck bill. Democrats want an investigation and a shift in spending priorities. Duffy wants $50 billion and says the politics should wait.