White House and Transportation Department Ask Congress for $30.1 Billion to Upgrade Airports and Air Traffic Control
WASHINGTON — The White House and the U.S. Department of Transportation on Friday urged Congress to approve a further $30.1 billion to upgrade the United States' aging airports and air traffic control system, Reuters reported on November 13. White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wrote to lawmakers asking for swift action.
According to the report, the request 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. It also includes $2 billion to replace and improve Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic control towers and $18 billion for airport-related projects, including $10 billion to modernize or replace aging terminals.
In their letter, Duffy and Vought wrote that the investment is critical to complete the modernization of the national airspace, delivering a resilient telecommunications backbone for air traffic controllers, modern hardware and software, state-of-the-art control towers and world-class airport infrastructure. They also said the FAA has replaced 68% of its legacy copper telecommunications network with high-speed fiber infrastructure.
Congress already approved $12.5 billion over five years in July 2025 to upgrade air traffic control and increase the hiring of controllers, following complaints about airport congestion, flight delays and technology problems. Major airlines including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines have expressed support for the new request, according to Reuters.
The administration has called for the Republican-led Congress to approve the funding in the final weeks of the year. Democrats are set to take control of Congress in January.
(Source: Reuters)
Source: Reuters
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于华盛顿的美国联邦航空局（FAA）总部大楼（固定图库联邦核心包，预裁 16:9）。 / Photo: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) headquarters building in Washington, D.C. (fixed federal-core asset-pack image, pre-cropped to 16:9).
