This afternoon, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) led members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation in sending a letter to Senate and House Appropriations Committee and Subcommittee Chairs and Ranking Members. The letter is signed by eight members of the state’s Congressional delegation and urges an immediate surge of at least $2 billion in emergency federal appropriations to address the ongoing situation at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and telecommunications failures at other airports across the country.
The legislators wrote: “We write to request emergency supplemental funding for key programs at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that will address the technology and equipment failures that are causing ongoing disruptions to the National Airspace System (NAS).
“Specifically, we ask for emergency supplemental funding for the FAA’s Air Traffic Organization (ATO) through the Operations and Facilities and Equipment (F&E) accounts. F&E supports upgrades of our air traffic control system infrastructure including the Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facilities. As you know, the Philadelphia TRACON facility’s faltering technology and outdated equipment has been the cause of a major and protracted disruption to the airspace primarily utilized by aircraft departing from and arriving at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).”
The legislators conclude: “Across our country, dozens more TRACON facilities rely on the same outdated technology and equipment and the installation of fiber wires, upgraded facilities, and modern telecommunications equipment will ensure that the chaos and disruptions ongoing in Newark do not soon occur in other regions of the nation as well.
“In order to resume operations at EWR and begin to expeditiously upgrade our nation’s air traffic control infrastructure, we request robust emergency supplemental funding to the FAA’s F&E account. This supplemental funding must include at least $2,000,000,000 dedicated to regions with repeated instances of a complete failure of the telecommunication system between TRACON facilities and approaching aircraft.”
A full copy of the May 14 letter can be found here and below:
Dear Chair Collins, Ranking Member Murray, Chairman Cole, Ranking Member DeLauro, Chair Hyde-Smith, Ranking Member Gillibrand, Chairman Womack, and Ranking Member Clyburn:
We write to request emergency supplemental funding for key programs at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that will address the technology and equipment failures that are causing ongoing disruptions to the National Airspace System (NAS).
Specifically, we ask for emergency supplemental funding for the FAA’s Air Traffic Organization (ATO) through the Operations and Facilities and Equipment (F&E) accounts. F&E supports upgrades of our air traffic control system infrastructure including the Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facilities. As you know, the Philadelphia TRACON facility’s faltering technology and outdated equipment has been the cause of a major and protracted disruption to the airspace primarily utilized by aircraft departing from and arriving at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).
A complete shutdown of communications between air traffic controllers at the Philadelphia TRACON facility and approaching aircraft on April 28, 2025, and on two subsequent occasions, brought the operations at EWR to a halt. EWR operates within the busiest airspace in the nation and a ground stoppage immediately causes a ripple effect throughout the entire NAS. The ongoing weeks of delays, cancellations, and the significant reductions in flight capacity at EWR is disrupting the lives of our constituents, spreading uncertainty among the traveling public, and negatively impacting the operations of our entire interconnected national aviation system.
It is unacceptable that our air traffic control facilities—which rely on technology and equipment such as floppy disks and copper wire—are vulnerable to a region-wide blackout. In Newark, the initial disruption resulted in 90 seconds of zero communication or radar visibility between the air traffic controllers and approaching aircraft. The subsequent failures on May 9 and May 11 reinforces that the telecommunications system at the Philadelphia TRACON facility needs to be replaced in order to restore regular operations at EWR as soon as possible.
Across our country, dozens more TRACON facilities rely on the same outdated technology and equipment and the installation of fiber wires, upgraded facilities, and modern telecommunications equipment will ensure that the chaos and disruptions ongoing in Newark do not soon occur in other regions of the nation as well.
In order to resume operations at EWR and begin to expeditiously upgrade our nation’s air traffic control infrastructure, we request robust emergency supplemental funding to the FAA’s F&E account. This supplemental funding must include at least $2,000,000,000 dedicated to regions with repeated instances of a complete failure of the telecommunication system between TRACON facilities and approaching aircraft.
We appreciate your careful attention to this request. It is critical that Congress act to restore full flight operations in our region while also beginning the work of restoring the American people’s confidence in a safe, effective, and reliable aviation system.
