Protecting America’s skies and aviation excellence
by U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark. · The Washington TimesOPINION:
On a brisk December day in 1903, Orville Wright became the first person in the world to successfully take flight in a powered airplane. This historic event catalyzed American aviation excellence, establishing the United States as a global leader in aviation innovation.
However, that lasting reputation is in jeopardy due to an outdated air traffic control (ATC) system that negatively impacts passengers, pilots, and controllers alike.
Unlike many modern technologies, such as cell phones or televisions, that have radically evolved over the past 40 years, our ATC system has stayed stagnant. Many controllers are still dependent on strips of paper to track flights or computers running on editions of Microsoft Windows that were released in the 1990s. These outdated systems are inefficient, prone to failure, hazardous, and becoming increasingly costly to maintain — a reality we cannot afford as the demand for air travel continues to grow.
But our operational deficiencies are a symptom of the underlying problem.
For decades, our federal government has poured taxpayer dollars into maintaining an increasingly antiquated ATC system. Approximately 90% of appropriated federal dollars for the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Facilities and Equipment (F&E) budget goes toward maintaining these already outdated systems — leaving only 10% for infrastructure modernization.
At the risk of oversimplifying, think of our ATC predicament in terms of deciding whether or how to repair an old vehicle. At some point, a car owner must decide whether it makes sense to keep pouring money into something that will continue to break down or invest in a newer vehicle that will last. The upfront cost may be higher, but choosing an updated model can be the more efficient and responsible decision.
Congress provided that type of upfront funding last year in the Working Families Tax Cuts law and my Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.
As Chairman of the House Appropriations THUD Subcommittee, I increased funding for the FAA by $1.22 billion over FY 2025 enacted levels, providing $4 billion for FAA facilities and equipment to replace aged telecommunication infrastructure in ATC towers and provide necessary resources to hire 2,500 new air traffic controllers.
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These efforts were complemented by the funds allocated to the FAA through the Working Families Tax Cuts law specifically for modernization efforts. The agency is moving swiftly to put these dollars to good work upgrading ATC systems in airports across the country. These updates include switching from paper flight strips to electronic flight strips, replacing aging radar and providing controllers with new digital capabilities in towers — all things that give controllers more time to monitor the actual aircraft themselves.
I am also proud that some of this modernization work is happening where I call home: Arkansas’s Third Congressional District.
Recently, I welcomed FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford to Northwest Arkansas, where we saw firsthand how FAA funding is helping to transform ATC systems. In Fayetteville, we saw newly installed voice switch technology at Drake Field which helps controllers and pilots communicate better. This installation at Drake Field was one of the first modernization efforts implemented using funds from the Working Families Tax Cuts law.
At the Northwest Arkansas National Airport, or XNA, we cut the ribbon on a brand-new ATC tower, which was funded in part through an FAA grant and community project funding I secured through the appropriations process. The completion of both projects helps meet the needs of our rapidly growing region.
As I work on the FY 2027 THUD appropriations bill, I look forward to continuing to support the FAA’s modernization efforts with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Administrator Bedford at the helm. The investments we make today will pay dividends in the future and ensure that our nation’s longstanding reputation for aviation excellence extends another century.
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• Rep. Steve Womack has represented the 3rd District of Arkansas since 2011. He serves as chairman of the House Appropriations Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Subcommittee.