U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy escalated criticism of President Joe Biden’s infrastructure agenda Tuesday, accusing the administration of neglecting aviation safety while prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in transportation spending.
The remarks come as Newark Liberty International Airport continues to face flight delays and system failures tied to outdated air traffic control (ATC) infrastructure.
At Newark Airport, you can find a tampon in the men’s room. Your TSA agents are gender and racially represented. Tickets are gender neutral, and everyone is welcome.
Except your flight might not be taking off—and if it does, pray you’re not involved in a mid-air collision.
And for the nonbinary, transgender, genderfluid, agender, genderqueer, and bigender flyers, yes, there are plenty of gender neutral bathrooms, with tampons, of course.
Duffy’s lashing out represents New Jersey’s growing frustration over the Biden administration’s handling of the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which Duffy says has left the nation’s ATC system critically underfunded.
The administration allocated $5 billion to modernize air traffic control facilities, but Duffy claims only $1 billion has actually been spent to date.
“This is not a new problem,” he said. “There have been multiple GAO reports over the last four years saying, you have real problems with air traffic control… and you should do something with it before it actually fails.”
Air traffic delays raise concerns over infrastructure priorities
Duffy cited recent disruptions at Newark Airport as evidence of system-wide failure, pointing to both technological and staffing deficiencies. He accused the administration of focusing on what he called “social justice and climate equity crap” rather than addressing urgent aviation safety needs.
The Federal Aviation Administration has acknowledged the need for modernization but has not directly addressed Duffy’s criticism. In earlier public statements, the agency said efforts are underway to recruit and train new controllers and invest in radar and communication system upgrades. Still, it warned that full implementation will take several years.
In his extended remarks, Duffy ridiculed what he called symbolic policy moves within the Department of Transportation. “They literally spent time concerned about the word ‘cockpit’ and changing it to ‘flight deck,’ or ‘airmen’ to ‘aeronaut,’” he said. “So now this administration has come in, and… the whole system needs to be redone.”
Republican pressure builds ahead of 2024
Republicans have used the continuing air travel disruptions to question how infrastructure funds are being allocated. They argue that critical systems, such as ATC and airline safety operations, have received disproportionately low attention compared to other infrastructure categories.
Speaker 1 (00:00:00.00)
This is not a new problem. We’ve known this problem has existed. There has been multiple GAO reports over the last four years saying, You have real problems with air traffic control, and you should do something with it before it actually fails. So think about this.The last administration spent $1. 2 trillion. The largest infrastructure package ever known to man, they spent… Joe Biden signed right here at this White House. And how much was spent to to build air traffic control? $5 billion. And of the $5 billion that was spent or was given, only $1 billion was actually spent. So they have made no investments in the system that we now see having issues in Newark.
On top of that, they were focused on things like racist roads. They literally spent time concerned about the word cockpit and changing cockpit to flight deck. It’s not funny. That’s actually what they spent time on. Or airmen to arrow knot. And so now this administration has come in, and it was shortly after the DC air crash that I started to look at the air traffic control system. And very quickly, I saw one piece of the pie where there was issues, and then scratch further, and there’s another piece of the pie.
Transportation secretary Sean Duffy.
The infrastructure bill did provide $25 billion for airport improvements, including runways and terminal upgrades. But critics say the focus on climate resilience and DEI programs diluted funding for core transportation operations.
And as we looked at it, we see that the whole system needs to be redone. We need to build a brand new air traffic control system.
Duffy’s remarks tap into a broader GOP message ahead of the 2024 elections, accusing the administration of prioritizing ideology over functionality in federal infrastructure planning.
Duffy torched Biden’s DEI focus as Newark delays mount, warning of looming collapse in America’s flight control system.