Duffy Blames Biden, Buttigieg for ‘Bungled’ Newark Tech

Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that the FAA would be reducing flights in Newark.

Caleb Revill

Monday, May 12, 2025 at 04:30 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

United Express CRJ aircraft in Newark [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

The FAA is temporarily reducing flights at Newark Liberty International Airport (KEWR) due to runway construction, staffing shortages, and recent technology issues, including radar outages at Philadelphia TRACON.
Secretary Sean Duffy blamed the previous administration for moving Newark's airspace control to Philadelphia TRACON in 2024 without adequately upgrading the telecommunication lines that feed radar data, creating system vulnerabilities.
An investigation into the airspace control move has been requested, and Newark will be prioritized for infrastructure upgrades under a proposed FAA air traffic control system revamp; the FAA is also establishing a task force and holding a meeting to address delays.

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Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that the FAA would be temporarily reducing flights at Newark Liberty International Airport (KEWR) during a press conference on Monday afternoon.

Hours before the conference, the FAA published a statement saying it would slow arrivals and departures at the airport due to runway construction, staffing, and technology issues at the Philadelphia TRACON radar—which briefly went offline Friday for the second time this month.