As safety concerns continue to create travel chaos at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called on Congress to fund a "massive bill" to address the nation's aging air traffic control and airport infrastructure systems.
On Tuesday, Duffy posted a clip on X of an interview with CNBC's "Squawk Box," in which he talked about building "an all-new, state-of-the-art air traffic control system in three to four years."
"It's going to take billions and billions of dollars," Duffy told the outlet in the Tuesday morning interview. "We have to clear the permitting regulations so we can do it fast.
"If Congress does that for us, again, we're going to have a system that will be the state-of-the-art, it'll be the envy of the world, it'll be the best in the world," he said.
The Trump Cabinet official stressed that he "can't do it by myself" and said he needs "Congress to partner" on the critical project by delivering the necessary funding and cutting the permitting red tape.
Duffy also stressed that there is bipartisan support on Capitol Hill for fixing the problems currently plaguing Newark Liberty International Airport and potentially other airports equipped with similarly outdated technology.
"Democrats and Republicans are all in agreement," he said. "We have to find a vehicle in which they can put the money in to get it to us so we can start the work. But, again, top-level legislators, in both chambers, Rs and Ds, are supportive of what we want to do."
Newark experienced two radar and communications blackouts in two weeks, in which air traffic controllers lost audio contact with pilots and saw their radar screens go dark. The technology outages have prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to propose limiting Newark to 56 operations per hour, and airlines and the agency are reportedly slated to meet Wednesday to discuss making flight cuts.
Last week, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. called for a federal probe into the FAA's East Coast operations and Newark Liberty International Airport after the blackouts caused hundreds of flight cancellations or delays.
"To say that there is just minor turbulence at Newark Airport and the FAA would be the understatement of the year," Schumer said in a statement. "We're here because the FAA is really a mess. This mess needs a real forensic look, a deep look into it. So today I am demanding a full inspector general investigation as to what went on."
"The chaos at Newark very well could be a harbinger if issues like these aren't fixed and if the FAA can't get real solutions off the ground," he added.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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