Trump administration seeks $50 billion for air traffic control after hours-long ground stop

The Trump administration boosted its request for air traffic control funding to $50 billion after a communications issue forced a nationwide ground stop that halted thousands of flights for hours. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called it an emergency, urging the Republican-led Congress to act before Democrats take control in January.

The Trump administration boosted its request for air traffic control funding to $50 billion late Friday after a communications issue forced a nationwide ground stop that halted thousands of flights for hours. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the White House earlier on Friday asked for $30.1 billion to upgrade the United States' aging airports and air traffic control system. "This is an emergency," Duffy said. "What's more important than having an air traffic control system that actually works?" The request from White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought and Duffy seeks $10.1 billion for air traffic control modernization, including $7.2 billion for a common automation platform and controller workstations and $2 billion for cloud computing. The $30.1 billion request also includes $2 billion to replace and improve Federal Aviation Administration air traffic control towers and $18 billion for airport-related projects, including $10 billion to modernize or replace aging terminals. Major airlines including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and Southwest Airlines have expressed support for the request. The administration has called for the Republican-led Congress to approve funding in the final weeks of the year, as Democrats are set to take control of Congress in January. The FAA still relies on decades-old computers and floppy disks for weather and other critical information.