Trump's transportation chief demands $50 billion to prevent another huge FAA fiasco
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin are requesting $50 billion from Congress to modernize aging FAA technology. This follows a nationwide ground stop caused by overloaded routers and outdated infrastructure.
Why it matters
The request highlights critical vulnerabilities in US national infrastructure and the ongoing debate over federal spending priorities for essential transportation systems.
US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said that Congress needs to Homeland Security $50 billion to fix the matter at the root. Alex Wong/Getty Images Trump's transportation chief wants $50 billion to replace aging tech blamed for Friday ground stop. Markwayne Mullin and Sean Duffy cited old routers overloading for the repeated failures. Nationwide FAA halt delayed about 10,000 flights, and led to 5,000 cancellations. The Department of Homeland Security says it wants $50 billion to replace aging technology that led to Friday's ground stop . In a press conference on Friday evening, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that the US has "old switches, old routers" that became overloaded with data and failed, disrupting communications at multiple air-route traffic-control centers. "We should talk to our senators and our members of Congress to say 'we don't deserve this, America,'" Duffy said.
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