At a Senate Environment Committee hearing on Wednesday, Sec. Sean Duffy spoke about modernizing the US air traffic control system.
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NewsTranscript
00:00All right, so this morning we are really honored to be joined by U.S. Transportation Secretary
00:05Sean Duffy.
00:07Secretary Duffy was approved to be Secretary of Transportation with 77 affirmative votes
00:11by the Senate and was sworn into his office on January 28th of this year.
00:16Prior to his service in the Cabinet, as many of us who served in the House know, he was
00:20not just a successful district attorney, but he was a member of the House of Representatives
00:25with several of us, where I had the actual privilege of serving with him on the Financial
00:29Services Committee.
00:30So Mr. Secretary, thank you again for being here.
00:33You're recognized for your opening statement.
00:36Thank you, Chairman Capito, Ranking Member Whitehouse, members of the committee.
00:39I appreciate you all inviting me to the committee today, and maybe if I could just first talk
00:45about the bipartisanship of this committee.
00:48Per Senator Whitehouse's comments, I think that Senator Capito has talked probably more
00:54about your projects than her own projects in West Virginia, as evidence that you all
00:59work together in a bipartisan fashion, and I appreciate that, because I think infrastructure
01:04is bipartisan.
01:05Shelley, I'm going to call you after this hearing.
01:11But I do think it's one of the unique spaces in our government where we all work together,
01:17because our roads and bridges, our airplanes, our airports, the safety of our cars is a
01:23bipartisan American issue, not a red or blue issue.
01:28But my aim over the course of this hearing is to provide you a sense of the administration's
01:32priorities as we work together on surface transportation reauthorization, and embark
01:36on what I hope will be the golden age of transportation.
01:41I took office just over two months ago, and in my first full day on the job, we experienced
01:46a sobering reminder of why the department's top priority is and must always be safety.
01:53While I know today's hearing is about surface transportation, I want to start by highlighting
01:59some of the steps we're taking in the immediate aftermath of the midair collision on the approach
02:04to DCA, because they underscore how we're going to approach our overall mission as we
02:11move forward.
02:13The Department of Transportation has been refocused on our mission of safety.
02:18Following the midair collision, we swiftly restricted helicopter traffic in the vicinity
02:23of DCA and initiated a review of our air traffic control workforce, our policies and procedures.
02:29At the end of February, less than a month after the fatal accident, I announced my plan
02:33to streamline the hiring process for air traffic controllers, and increasing pay for new students
02:39who attend the academy.
02:41In March, following the NTSB's recommendations, I announced that the FAA will permanently
02:46restrict non-essential helicopter operations around Ronald Reagan Airport and eliminate
02:52mixed helicopter and fixed wing traffic.
02:56We will continue to push for a state-of-the-art air traffic control system.
03:02I think America deserves it, America needs it, and it's going to be a process that's
03:08going to take all of us working together, and I look forward to sharing with you what
03:13I've seen with regard to our antiquated system, and I think when we have those conversations,
03:20I think the Congress, Senate, and House together, Republican and Democrat, are going to work
03:26with us, because our air traffic control system, it's using World War II-era technology.
03:32Equipment like floppy disks are commonplace in our towers.
03:36With your help, we can propel America's aviation system into the modern era.
03:40We will do this by embracing the most advanced 21st century technology that makes our system
03:46safer, more affordable, and more efficient for all Americans.
03:52So whether taking road, rail, sea, or air, cutting unnecessary red tape, as you've mentioned,
03:58Senator Capito, and building big, beautiful infrastructure that Americans are paying for
04:03with their hard-earned dollars, that's a top priority.
04:06Let's do it efficiently.
04:07Let's cut the red tape.
04:08We can still protect the environment, but let's move these projects faster.
04:12Lawmakers on all sides of the aisle can agree that infrastructure projects are taking way
04:16too long to complete, but the recent reconstruction of Interstate 40, the critical Appalachian
04:23artery between North Carolina and Tennessee that was washed away by Hurricane Helene,
04:28demonstrates what's possible when everyone is working together.
04:31To expedite rebuilding, we found creative ways to source materials closer to the jobsite,
04:37saving taxpayers both time and money.
04:41It is this kind of innovation and problem-solving that moves projects faster and more efficiently.
04:48There is so much more that we can all do together.
04:51I look forward to working with the Congress on surface transportation reauthorization
04:56through the process.
04:57I appreciate you, Senator, starting these hearings early.
05:00As we're just beginning the conversation, I think in Congress, sometimes we start late,
05:05but to go through regular order, I think, would be a real benefit for the American people.
05:09We need to make sure our transportation infrastructure is built with speed, ingenuity, and durability
05:14so that Americans can reap returns on their investments, not just for this generation,
05:20but for generations to come.
05:21I want to thank you all for having me, and I look forward to taking all of your questions.
05:25I yield back.