Scoop: Congress Moves To Address Air Traffic Controller Crisis As Newark Meltdown Sparks Alarm

EXCLUSIVE: The House of Representatives is taking a difficult look astatine nan authorities of nan U.S. aerial postulation power strategy and what it needs to modernize.

Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, president of nan Aviation Subcommittee connected nan House's committee connected Transportation & Infrastructure, told Fox News Digital he would beryllium starring a bipartisan bid of closed-door conversations connected nan issue.

"We are going to commencement holding roundtables pinch stakeholders to instrumentality this plan," Nehls said successful an interview.

It comes aft a blackout at Newark Liberty International Airport reportedly caused a astir 90-second outage to its aerial postulation power screens.

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A position wrong Newark Airport arsenic travelers are facing 8 consecutive days of monolithic delays, United Airlines canceling routes and staffing shortages successful Newark, New Jersey, connected May 6, 2025. (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association said that operators astatine Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control, which coordinates planes arriving astatine nan engaged New York City-area airport, "temporarily mislaid radar and communications pinch nan craft nether their control, incapable to see, hear, aliases talk to them."

Nehls said a superior attraction of nan roundtables would beryllium formulating a scheme connected really to walk nan $12.5 cardinal nan House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee approved toward aerial postulation power (ATC) modernization.

The costs were marked for ATC arsenic portion of nan budget reconciliation process, done which Republicans are passing a monolithic measure advancing a big of Trump management priorities.

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Rep. Troy Nehls is Aviation Subcommittee chair (Nathan Posner)

"We've sewage $12.5 billion. How are we going to walk it? Who's going to walk it?  What it needs to beryllium spent on, what should beryllium nan priority? So we are bringing successful these stakeholders, these experts from each different areas," Nehls said.

"We're bringing successful these individuals that cognize astir a batch dealing pinch a batch of this technology, they're nan first group that is coming successful to talk about, you know, what do we do astir fibre optics."

He was referring to reports that nan blackout was caused by a fried portion of copper wire, which Nehls said was an illustration of nan outdated strategy ATC was moving on.

Nehls pledged to activity intimately pinch Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. (Getty Images)

The first gathering of nan panel, which will see 2 Republicans and 2 Democrats, is group for early June, he said.

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"We're going to meet pinch caller stakeholders to supply nan guidance. And I'm going to do a batch of listening. I'm not going to do a full batch of talking," Nehls said. "So we tin make a very deliberate and informed determination connected really we're going to walk nan money pinch payer money to modernize nan system. So I deliberation that's a measurement successful nan correct direction."

Fox News Digital reached retired to nan Transportation & Infrastructure Committee for comment.