US transportation secretary Sean Duffy defended the Trump administration’s handling of aviation infrastructure Monday after persistent flight delays and radar outages sparked criticism over deteriorating conditions at Newark Liberty International Airport.
Asked by a reporter during a news conference over whether current issues reflected failures under the Trump administration, Duffy pushed back sharply. “If you buy a used car, you drive it home and go to bed, wake up the next morning, drive to the store and it breaks down, is it your fault or is it the guy that you bought it from sold you a lemon?” he said. “We have to recognize… this infrastructure is failing under the first hundred days of the Trump administration or Sean Duffy as secretary. That is a known falsehood, known lie by the media.”
He added that the aviation system had long been showing signs of strain. “Those of you who cover aviation, there’s been telltale signs, there’s been conversations, there’s been congressional hearings on this, and the fact that the last administration did nothing should be reported,” Duffy said.
His comments came as delays mounted again at Newark. As per NBC News, by 3 pm ET on Monday, 186 delays and over 84 cancellations had been logged at the airport, with the FAA attributing the disruption to staffing shortages.
Duffy, speaking earlier on NBC’s Meet the Press, acknowledged the country’s aviation infrastructure is outdated and vulnerable. He blamed recent radar outages on telecommunications glitches and stressed that similar breakdowns could spread across the country without urgent reforms. “What you see in Newark is going to happen in other places across the country,” he warned.
The secretary reiterated that it was safe to fly, saying, “We are the safest airspace,” and noted that he and his family continue to travel through Newark. Still, he admitted the system “looks like it’s off the Apollo 13 set” and requires immediate modernisation.
According to The New York Times, Duffy has proposed a multibillion-dollar overhaul of the air traffic control system and plans to meet with major airlines on Wednesday to discuss scaling back flights from Newark amid the strain. He said the FAA has begun replacing copper lines with fibre at airports, including Newark, though testing could take up to two weeks.
FAA is working with telecom giants Verizon and L3 Harris to fast-track fixes, while a temporary backup system has been deployed at the Philadelphia TRACON, which manages Newark’s airspace.
Despite passenger frustrations and growing safety concerns, Duffy continues to frame the current crisis as one inherited from a system neglected by past leadership. “This isn’t about luck,” he implied in his analogy. “This is about what we were handed.”
Asked by a reporter during a news conference over whether current issues reflected failures under the Trump administration, Duffy pushed back sharply. “If you buy a used car, you drive it home and go to bed, wake up the next morning, drive to the store and it breaks down, is it your fault or is it the guy that you bought it from sold you a lemon?” he said. “We have to recognize… this infrastructure is failing under the first hundred days of the Trump administration or Sean Duffy as secretary. That is a known falsehood, known lie by the media.”
Duffy: "If you buy a used car, you drive it home, and you go to bed, wake up the next morning and drive to the store and it breaks down, is it your fault or did the guy you bought it from sell you a lemon? ... the fact the last administration did nothing should be reported." pic.twitter.com/QcHObnW1jP
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 12, 2025
He added that the aviation system had long been showing signs of strain. “Those of you who cover aviation, there’s been telltale signs, there’s been conversations, there’s been congressional hearings on this, and the fact that the last administration did nothing should be reported,” Duffy said.
His comments came as delays mounted again at Newark. As per NBC News, by 3 pm ET on Monday, 186 delays and over 84 cancellations had been logged at the airport, with the FAA attributing the disruption to staffing shortages.
Duffy, speaking earlier on NBC’s Meet the Press, acknowledged the country’s aviation infrastructure is outdated and vulnerable. He blamed recent radar outages on telecommunications glitches and stressed that similar breakdowns could spread across the country without urgent reforms. “What you see in Newark is going to happen in other places across the country,” he warned.
The secretary reiterated that it was safe to fly, saying, “We are the safest airspace,” and noted that he and his family continue to travel through Newark. Still, he admitted the system “looks like it’s off the Apollo 13 set” and requires immediate modernisation.
According to The New York Times, Duffy has proposed a multibillion-dollar overhaul of the air traffic control system and plans to meet with major airlines on Wednesday to discuss scaling back flights from Newark amid the strain. He said the FAA has begun replacing copper lines with fibre at airports, including Newark, though testing could take up to two weeks.
FAA is working with telecom giants Verizon and L3 Harris to fast-track fixes, while a temporary backup system has been deployed at the Philadelphia TRACON, which manages Newark’s airspace.
Despite passenger frustrations and growing safety concerns, Duffy continues to frame the current crisis as one inherited from a system neglected by past leadership. “This isn’t about luck,” he implied in his analogy. “This is about what we were handed.”
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