US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed Congress for failing to fund upgrades to the nation’s air traffic control system after a communications outage grounded flights nationwide Friday.
By Saturday, Duffy had also singled out FAA contractor L3Harris, saying investigators were looking at whether an installation error or a faulty router triggered the shutdown, according to The Associated Press and NPR.
"By doing nothing, you inject way more risk into the system," Duffy said Friday, urging lawmakers to approve more money for modernization. The Associated Press reported that Congress had already approved $12.5 billion for the overhaul and that the FAA had used the funding to replace thousands of copper lines and upgrade hundreds of radio systems.
Democratic Rep. George Whitesides put the focus on the administration’s response. The Los Angeles Times reported that Whitesides, who spent seven hours stranded at an airport Friday, accused transportation and homeland security officials of taking too long to address the public and failing to explain whether another outage could occur. He also questioned Trump’s decision to put Duffy in charge of the department, criticizing his lack of professional transportation experience.
Senate Democrats pressed the FAA on its safeguards. Sen. Tammy Duckworth called for a full investigation and said she would demand answers from the agency. Sen. Maria Cantwell said the Senate Commerce Committee would examine how aircraft communicate with controllers, including what backup frequencies were available, ABC News reported.
On Saturday, Duffy said L3Harris crews were switching a remote FAA site from copper to fiber when the system failed. L3Harris said it was helping federal investigators determine what led to the ground stop, The Washington Post reported. The precise cause remained unresolved as airlines canceled about 4,500 more US flights Saturday, according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, Rapid Response 47, an official White House X account, blamed former US President Joe Biden.
"Under Biden, the FAA was focused on 'inclusive language' - like banning the term 'airman,'" the post read. "Even after the 2023 nationwide ground stop, they did absolutely nothing to address the problems plaguing ATC. That’s why for two years, the Trump Admin has been begging Congress to partner with us and finally get it DONE!"