DOT and FAA seek $30B from Congress for airspace modernization
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, and roughly 60 aviation groups are pushing Congress to pass new legislation providing $30 billion for air traffic systems and airport infrastructure.
Senior U.S. transportation officials and a coalition of aviation groups want Congress to fund new spending on the nation's air traffic system. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford appeared with representatives of close to 60 industry groups to back the request.
The proposal divides the money into three tranches of $10 billion each, according to the proposal. That would cover the FAA's new AI-based SMART system, which stands for Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories, and also construction of new runways and taxiways at airports.
Senator Eric Schmitt, a Missouri Republican, introduced the Modern Skies Act on Monday. The bill lays out how the funds would be allocated. Duffy had said earlier in the month he intended to seek the $30 billion.
The new request, added to the $12.5 billion Congress set aside in 2025 for the first phase of the Department of Transportation's Brand New Air Traffic Control System, would bring total aviation upgrade funding to $42.5 billion. Officials have previously put the expected cost of that program at about $31.5 billion.
At a news conference Monday, Duffy said lawmakers have been reluctant to commit more money to modernizing the National Airspace System because of past FAA failures. The Government Accountability Office reported in 2024 that the agency's earlier NextGen program delivered only 16 percent of the benefits it promised, after 20 years and $36 billion in spending.
Duffy said large sums were spent and many promises made under that effort without much reaching the public, and that the department and FAA are now meeting the commitments they have made. He called the current program probably the most bipartisan effort in Washington and said President Donald Trump is helping press for the $30 billion.
Jason Ambrosi, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, said at the conference that the memory of past modernization attempts is why the union keeps pushing for stronger oversight.
Sources
- flyingmag.comDOT, Aviation Groups Ask Congress for $30B to Modernize Airspace