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President Donald Trump has called on Congress to fully fund an overhaul of America’s air traffic control system, breaking his silence after a nationwide ground stop disrupted air travel across the United States over the weekend.
Trump Breaks Silence on Ground Stop
Trump had remained notably quiet since the ground stop began Friday afternoon. Meanwhile, frustrated passengers were stranded at airports and his administration worked with airlines to restore normal operations. On Sunday, he finally addressed the situation through posts on his social media platform.
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“If Congress approves the desperately needed money for Air Traffic Control, we can get it built quickly and efficiently,” Trump wrote. “It will be the BEST SYSTEM anywhere in the World. Much of our current air control system is 50 years old – RIDICULOUS!”
Trump also blamed his Democratic predecessor for the state of the system. He accused Joe Biden’s administration of making an “old and broken system worse than when they began.” However, Biden signed a major infrastructure bill during his first year in office. That legislation set aside $25 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration to improve airports, upgrade traffic control towers, and redevelop airport terminals.
Congress Already Approved Billions for FAA
The Republican-controlled Congress approved $12.5 billion for the FAA as part of a sweeping tax cut package last year. Despite this, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has repeatedly described that funding as only a down payment. He argues a much broader overhaul of the aging system is still needed.
Trump echoed that position on Sunday, saying upgrades should not happen in “drips and drabs.” Duffy appeared across multiple Sunday news programs, pressing Congress for additional billions to modernize air traffic control infrastructure.
What Caused the Ground Stop
Duffy explained the technical cause of the disruption in a post on X. He said contractor L3Harris Technologies had secured two routers from FAA facilities in Texas and Arkansas. The company then conducted what he described as “deep diagnostics” on the equipment.
According to Duffy, the problem started when L3Harris replaced a section of old copper wire with new fiber wire at a site in El Dorado, Arkansas. After the replacement and the router restart, an unexpected fault appeared at a separate facility in Amarillo, Texas. That fault then cascaded into the full ground stop. “We didn’t think that should or would happen,” Duffy told ABC’s This Week.
Recovery Underway
Duffy told CBS’ Face the Nation that some delays remained in the airspace on Sunday. However, he expressed confidence that the system would return to full capacity by the end of the day and into Monday.
He also explained that a ground stop forces aircraft and crews out of position. As a result, airlines need time to reposition before returning to normal schedules. “We’re well on our way,” he said.
