Trump administration plans overhaul of U.S. air traffic control systems
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says he is concerned the thousands of flights derailed in Newark will not be an isolated incident.
“If we don’t actually accomplish the mission that we’re announcing today, you will see Newarks, not just in Newark, you will see Newarks in other parts of the country.”
President Donald Trump said the problem with the U.S. system, is the attempt to combine old hard wired technology with newer satellite systems.
“If you have a satellite system it needs satellite, if you don’t, they had all these technologies, some of them 50 years old, and they’re trying to mesh them in.”
The administration will soon put out bids to have one contractor revamp all aspects of the system.
Duffy brought out some of the current equipment, such as floppy disks, used in the current format to prove a point.
“We don’t call the manufacturer to buy replacement parts for this equipment,” Duffy said. “Do you know where we go? eBay. We shop on eBay to replace parts to fix our equipment in the system that keeps you safe.”
But fixes will cost billions of dollars and will require Congressional action.
Duffy said he wants to fund the entire overhaul upfront.
“When you give small tranches of money year-over-year, politics change, leadership changes, presidents change, interest changes, and it never gets built.”
The ask for billions of dollars comes as Republicans aim to slash money from the budget to pay for tax cuts.
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