Ground stop protected passengers: transcript features transportation secretary Sean Duffy on FAA overhaul
Ground stop and safety
Margaret Brennan asked Duffy whether the country would return to a full flight schedule by the end of the day. She also asked about reported problems involving a router in El Dorado, Arkansas, and a radar site in Amarillo, Texas.
Duffy said the ground stop was issued to help ensure travelers reached their destinations safely. The transcript does not include his answer about when a full flight schedule would resume or whether the two reported problems were related.
Questions about the equipment
Brennan asked whether old infrastructure or new equipment was involved. She also cited the aviation safety specialists’ union, PASS, which said two contractor-owned and maintained routers were being updated during the day and that its technicians did not take part.
Brennan asked whether the FAA had completed a risk assessment and whether the agency should have anticipated the disruption. The transcript does not include Duffy’s full responses to those questions.
Modernization and funding
Duffy defended the pace of modernization, saying the FAA needed to replace its old network and telecommunications systems. He said more than 70 percent of copper had been switched to fiber without incident and that nearly 470 radios had been replaced.
He said the Trump administration was addressing work that had gone undone for decades, while acknowledging that the challenge was difficult. Duffy also said he needed more money for a new telecommunications network and new software.
Radar delivery timeline
Duffy said Congress provided $12.5 billion for FAA work through the One, Big Beautiful Bill, with specific limits on how the money could be spent. He said radar orders had been placed with contract winners and the equipment would be built in America.
He said radar deliveries would begin in the spring and that deployment was expected to be complete by the end of 2028. Duffy added that the funding had been committed to radar, though not all of it had been spent.
Key points
- Duffy said the ground stop was intended to protect travelers.
- He said more than 70 percent of copper had been switched to fiber without incident.
- Congress provided $12.5 billion for FAA work, Duffy said.
- Radar deliveries were expected to begin in the spring, with deployment complete by the end of 2028.