Washington, D.C.—Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Rick Larsen (D-WA) and Vice Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Aviation Nellie Pou (D-NJ) released the following statements after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed reports of a second Air Traffic Control outage at Newark International Airport this morning.
“Reports of another ATC outage at Newark International Airport are infuriating,” Ranking Member Larsen said. “The safety of the traveling public cannot continue being put at risk. Congress included reforms in the 2024 FAA Reauthorization to improve our system and the FAA needs to prioritize their implementation. Problems with our system have crossed Administrations, but safety improvements cannot span generations. We need action now.”
“America’s skies have been among the safest in the world for years because of our investment and attention to detail,” Vice Ranking Member Pou said. “However, the actions of the Trump Administration have made lingering problems worse. Certainly, the firing of FAA workers by Elon Musk’s DOGE bureau and the President’s denigration of air traffic controllers have not been helpful. Secretary Duffy’s plans are aggressive and forward-looking—if the Administration follows through. So far, the Administration has been more interested in gutting government capacity than in building it. We should be investing in our airports, upgrading our technology and hiring more air traffic controllers—not forcing out the dedicated FAA workers who keep the flying public safe.”
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