() Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy toured an air traffic control tower in San Diego as he stresses the need to pass President Donald Trump’s “one big beautiful bill.”
The bill has been debated by lawmakers in the House and Senate, who have had different spending priorities, and includes cuts to Medicaid and green energy tax credit to help fund tax cuts and cut federal spending.
Duffy spoke about the need to improve outdated air traffic control systems and said his agency was requesting all funding for upgrades up front to ensure the process could be completed.
His remarks come after a string of aviation incidents, including a January mid-air collision between a passenger jet and an Army helicopter near Washington D.C.’s Reagan National Airport.
The country has faced a shortage of air traffic controllers for decades, and aging air traffic control systems have also suffered technological issues.
Recently, air traffic controllers at Newark’s Liberty International Airport suffered multiple communications outages that kept them from communicating with planes.
Duffy has pledged to update air traffic control systems, including updates to the technology infrastructure and the construction of new air traffic control towers.
