WASHINGTON — The White House and Department of Transportation asked Congress on November 13 for another US$30.1bn for airports and air traffic control, Reuters reported. The proposal would add to US$12.5bn approved in July 2025.
The request assigns US$10.1bn to air traffic control modernization, including US$7.2bn for a common automation platform and controller workstations and US$2bn for cloud computing. A separate US$2bn would replace or improve control towers.
Airports Account for Most of the Request
Airport projects would receive US$18bn, including US$10bn for terminal modernization or replacement. Those terminal funds sit within the airport allocation; they are not an additional appropriation.
Budget Director Russell Vought and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy urged lawmakers to act. Their letter says the Federal Aviation Administration has replaced 68% of its legacy copper telecommunications network with fiber, according to Reuters.
The figures distinguish work already underway from money still being sought. Congressional approval remains the next step for the additional funding; the request itself does not finance construction or establish project completion dates.
The technology work also includes existing programs with their own scope. The FAA describes its Enterprise Information Display System as replacing four legacy systems that supply controllers with operational information. Airways has covered the first five facilities identified for that rollout. Those information displays are a distinct part of modernization; the new funding request is not evidence that every program has a funded completion schedule.
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