President Donald Trump is calling for additional funding to upgrade the air traffic control system after a nationwide ground stop caused a massive disruption in airline traffic, breaking his silence after two days without directly commenting on the aviation debacle.
“If Congress approves the desperately needed money for Air Traffic Control, we can get it built quickly and efficiently. It will be the BEST SYSTEM anywhere in the World,” Trump said in a Nov. 15 social media post.
The president's comments echo other administration officials and GOP allies who are emphasizing boosting funding for the Federal Aviation Administration, even as Democrats say the administration hasn't spent money already allocated.
The ground stop was ordered at 3:45 p.m.
ET Nov. 13 after what Trump administration officials described as a breakdown in the FAA’s communications system resulting from a router that was replaced as part of an ongoing effort to switch out old copper wires with fiber-optic cable. The new router started “flooding other routers in our air traffic control system,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Nov. 14.
Thousands of flights were halted. They were cleared to resume at 8:15 p.m. Nov. 13, but the ground stop created a big backlog that was still being untangled three days later.
Duffy is warning that more incidents will occur without major investments to upgrade the FAA's antiquated communications system. He is asking Congress for $50 million in additional funding.
Congress approved $12.5 million for FAA improvements in 2025.
“We have already started the work, but it should be done all at once, not in drips and drabs. Congress must approve,” Trump said Nov. 15.
However, Democrats on the House Transportation and Infrastructure committee said in a Nov. 15 statementthat much of the $12.5 million remains unspent more than a year after it was approved.
“Fifteen months later, the administration’s obligated $4.3 billion but only spent $1 billion, leaving $8 billion unobligated and $11 billion unspent,” Reps Rick Larsen, D-Washington, and Andre Carson, D-Indiana, said in the statement. “Explain to Congress, again, why they need more money?”
Trump has taken a back seat as the airline debacle unfolded, alluding to it just once − indirectly − before his Nov. 15 comments. Trump shared comments Nov. 14 attributed to Sen. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana, saying additional FAA funding should be a “stand alone” bill.
Instead, Duffy and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin have taken the lead in communicating about the ground stop. Duffy said duringa Nov. 15 interview on NBC's "Meet the Press" that airlines would soon be operating normally.
"By the end of the day, end of tomorrow I think we'll be back to normal," Duffy said.
Trump also lashed out at President Joe Biden in another Nov. 15 social media post, alleging he spent money on the FAA “unwisely.”
Democrats have accused the Trump administration of incompetence and are calling for accountability and oversight efforts to dig into what caused the ground stop.
"Our committee, on behalf of the flying public, will hold the administration accountable for what happened to make sure this chaos does not happen again," Larsen and Carson said in their statement.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump breaks silence, calls for FAA funding after airline ground stop
