U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said this week that his department will need billions of dollars more to launch the ambitious overhaul of the nation’s air traffic control (ATC) system that the Trump administration promised earlier this year.
Speaking at a press conference at Newark Liberty International Airport (KEWR) in New Jersey amid the holiday travel rush, Duffy said lawmakers will have to deliver almost double what they have already set aside to fully fund the ATC rebuild.
“We have $12 and a half billion in the Big Beautiful Bill to start the process, [and] we need another $19 billion to $20 billion to complete it,” he said. “We can’t start the process until Congress gives us the money, so we wait. I encourage Congress to look at the situation.”
The secretary’s comments were reported by New Jersey news website NJ.com on Monday.
Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford were at Newark to reassure travelers that the nation’s air transportation system will hold up during Thanksgiving week, which is usually the busiest of the year.
The recent federal government shutdown raised concerns among the public that thousands of flights could be delayed or canceled leading up to Thanksgiving Day. But with funding restored and ATC staffing levels returning to normal, operations should be running smoothly, they said.
“This is our Super Bowl,” Bedford said. “I assure the traveling public we’re ready and they can fly with confidence.”
Duffy returned to the theme of workplace improvements after taking a tour of Newark’s ATC tower. While ATCs are doing an exemplary job of managing flight traffic, he said, they must be given the proper tools and technology to run a modern ATC system.
“They’re back to running safe and efficient and the focus is on modernization,” he said. “We have to get rid of the 40-year-old floppy discs…We have ground radar with one operable channel and we don’t have the spare parts. We need to get the right equipment to do the best job we can.”
An overhaul plan laid out by the Trump administration in May calls for six new ATC centers—the biggest buildout of that kind since the 1960s—and 15 towers with colocated TRACONs. The main priority, however, will be upgrades to existing ATC centers and the installation of state-of-the-art telecommunications systems, radios, surveillance technology, and automation programs.
Bedford said last week that the Transportation Department is close to selecting a prime integrator—essentially a general contractor—for the project, with a final decision just weeks away.
