After FAA Nationwide Ground Stop, Trump Breaks Silence, Blames Biden Administration and Urges Funding
Trump calls for more funding
Trump said his administration had started upgrading the air traffic control system, but argued the work needed sustained funding rather than being done in small increments. He urged Congress to approve money for a faster, broader overhaul.
Congress approved $12.5 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration in last year’s tax cut package. Duffy has described that funding as an initial payment toward a larger modernization effort. Trump also criticized the age of parts of the system, saying much of it is 50 years old.
Biden funding and blame
In a separate social media post, Trump accused former President Joe Biden’s administration of leaving the FAA and air traffic control system in worse condition. Biden signed an infrastructure law during his first year in office that allocated $25 billion for FAA improvements, including airport facilities and air traffic control infrastructure.
Duffy appeared on Sunday television programs to press Congress for billions more for upgrades. He said the funding shortfall reflected decades of limited investment, and said he could not place responsibility solely on either party.
Equipment work preceded disruption
Duffy said contractor L3Harris Technologies had obtained two routers from FAA sites in Texas and Arkansas and was conducting diagnostics. He said the trouble began during work to replace old copper wire with fiber wire, which apparently caused an overload.
After the new wire was installed at the El Dorado, Arkansas, site and a router was switched on, a problem developed at a facility in Amarillo, Texas. Duffy said the issue spread and led to the ground stop.
Flights expected to recover
Duffy said some delays remained in the airspace, but expected operations to return to full capacity by the end of Sunday or on Monday. He noted that aircraft and crews had been moved out of position during the ground stop.
Restoring normal schedules takes time, Duffy said, but airlines were making progress toward full operations. Passengers had been stranded as the government and airlines worked to restore travel.
Key points
- Trump urged Congress to fund a full FAA air traffic control upgrade.
- The ground stop began Friday afternoon and disrupted airline travel.
- Duffy traced the issue to equipment work involving routers and replacement wire.
- Duffy expected flights to return to full capacity by Monday.