Lawmakers spoke to Fox News Digital on Tuesday, with Chaos continuing in one of the busiest airports in the country.
“Our team contacted the FAA to get answers on what steps they were taking to resolve this situation,” said Sen. Andy Kim, a Democrat on the Senate Commerce and Science Transport Committee.
“Your family deserves to know that when you fly you are safe and you get there on time. We’ll keep pushing to make sure it happens,” Kim said.
Crossing the aisle, West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capit lamented the “very outdated” air traffic control system, talking about the controller being written on a massive scale.
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ewr, left, Sean Duffy, right (Getty)
“[That] It’s the confusion we see on Newark,” Capito told Fox News Digital.
“We want to see more accountability at the FAA, so we proposed a dashboard to the Cruz team, Chair of the Commercial Committee, showing the progress of the FAA in updating the system and showing that we will hire more controllers.”
Democrats like DNC Chairman Ken Martin laughed at USDOT secretary Sean Duffy about the latest air travel-related crisis, but Capit retorted that Wisconsin Republicans are aware of the challenges facing American skies.
“I support his efforts to complete the plans that I want to review immediately,” she said.
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Martin tweeted, “If you missed it, Sean Duffy tweeted that there was a close mistake to DCA. [Ronald Reagan-Washington National Airport in Crystal City, Va.]Newark’s air traffic control screens are dark, and the American air travel system is crumbling under you and Donald Trump’s watch. ”
“I hope the tacos were good anyway,” he said. It appears to be referring to a photo posted to X, posing with the steak tacos his wife prepared for dinner in his “#latinawife.”
Late Tuesday, Sen. Corey Booker of DN.J., former Mayor of Newark himself wrote a lengthy letter to Duffy.
“USDOT is already responding to this ongoing situation by identifying the importance of technology upgrades across the air traffic control system and is grateful for its commitment to supporting these efforts in Congress.”
“However, we also ask that you promptly direct additional staff and resources to recover from regular operations in the EWR in the future. This is especially important as the busy summer travel season puts more pressure on EWR and local airspace. ewr.”
R-Kan, another committee member. Senator Jerry Moran told Fox News Digital that it takes a skilled workforce and reliable technology to maintain America’s “the busiest and most advanced airspace in the world.”
“The radar halt in Newark puts air traffic controllers in an impossible situation, putting incoming flights at risk and demonstrating the urgent need for modernising our systems,” he said, along with Senators John Haven (RN.D.) and Jeanne Shaheen (DN.H.) in place the Air Traffic Workers Development Act and the labor sector.
R-Wyo. Sen. Cynthia Ramis told Fox News Digital on Tuesday, “As a member of the Senate Transportation Committee, this is deeply concerning to me. The Biden administration has spent years.
“I think many of us will be asking how this happened and how we will work with Secretary Duffy and Chairman Cruz to fix it. The flying public deserves to know that it is safe and secure when flying in American airspace,” Ramis said.
On the democratic side, Sen. Tammy Duckworth of D-Ill said:
A fatal hollow collision at Reagan National Airport in the Washington, DC area and subsequent near misses have raised concerns about the country’s air-crowded control system. (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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“As a ranking member of the Airlines Subcommittee, I have questions about both Newark and the recent incidents near the Pentagon. Congress needs an answer. The safety of the flying public depends on it.”
In a lengthy statement obtained by FOX News and Fox Business, the FAA admitted that “several major airlines are facing continuous flight disruptions at Newar Riverty International Airport in New Jersey as facilities compete for ongoing staffing and technical issues.”
“Last week, air traffic controllers at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) facility in Philadelphia lost radar and radio signals, directing the plane for nearly 90 seconds towards Newark, causing significant delays and flight cancellations,” the statement continued, continuing to refer to the long-standing issues cited by Capito.
“We are working to ensure that current communications equipment is more reliable in the New York area by establishing more resilient and redundant configurations with local exchange personnel. Additionally, we are updating our automation systems to improve resilience,” the agency said.
Charles Kraitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.
He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.
Charles covers the media, politics and culture of Fox News Digital.
Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.
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