Trump Urges Congress to Quickly Approve $30 Billion to Modernize Air Traffic Control; Schmidt Bill Introduced in Senate
U.S. President Donald Trump is urging Congress to quickly approve $30 billion in funding to modernize the air traffic control system, including airport towers, terminals and other critical infrastructure. According to CNN, citing sources familiar with the matter, Trump spoke by phone on the evening of Nov. 13 with Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt, a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, who introduced the Modern Skies Act in September to invest an additional $30 billion in federal funds beyond existing appropriations to replace aging equipment and upgrade the nation's aviation infrastructure. The administration sent a letter to Congress that morning, signed by Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and delivered to Senate Appropriations Committee leadership, just hours before the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a nationwide ground stop. After Congress approved $12.5 billion last year, the FAA has replaced thousands of miles of aging copper cable with fiber optics and upgraded hundreds of radio systems; Duffy and the White House said another $30 billion is still needed to complete the overhaul.
Source: CNN
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图中为空中交通管制员在华盛顿航路管制中心工作（资料照片）。图片来源：美国联邦航空局，公共领域（Wikimedia Commons）。
