Trump calls for overhaul of air traffic control, says fmr Transportation Sec Pete Buttigieg ‘did a horrible job’

President Donald Trump criticized the previous administration’s handling of the nation’s air traffic control system during a White House cabinet meeting, singling out former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for doing a “horrible job.”

"We have very obsolete equipment for air traffic controllers,” Trump said. “This Buttigieg did a horrible job. They wasted billions and billions of dollars.”

"A third-grade student would know it doesn't work,” the president added. “We want to put a brand new air traffic control system in."

Trump’s comments reference the January midair collision between a Black Hawk helicopter and a commercial passenger jet that killed 67 people. He pointed to ongoing issues with the air traffic control system as a failure of the Biden administration and emphasized the need for technology and equipment to be modernized.

Current Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy agreed with the urgency of reform and said the administration plans to implement a new, “state-of-the-art” air traffic control system that would be the “envy of the world.” Duffy noted that significant help from Congress will be required to fund the overhaul.

The Department of Transportation is also focused on addressing a critical staffing shortage, with air traffic control currently about 3,000 personnel short. Mandatory overtime and six-day workweeks have strained the system and contributed to ongoing flight delays.

House Republicans this week proposed $15 billion in new funding to modernize air traffic control infrastructure through 2029. The package includes upgrades to aging towers, radar systems, telecommunications equipment, and $1 billion dedicated to hiring new air traffic controllers, according to Reuters.

Duffy has spoken extensively about the ongoing staffing shortages of air traffic controllers, giving proposals including revising the mandatory retirement age of 56.

“We have too many controllers that retire after 25 years of service. And so we have to look and go, is this a national security issue? Is this a safety issue? And should these air traffic controllers be retiring after 25 years of service?” Duffy previously told Fox News.