SCOOP: Congress moves to address air traffic controller crisis as Newark meltdown sparks alarm

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

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

"We are going to commencement holding roundtables with 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 presumption 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 the engaged New York City-area airport, "temporarily mislaid radar and communications with the craft nether their control, incapable to see, hear, oregon speech to them."

Nehls said a superior absorption of the roundtables would beryllium formulating a program connected however to walk the $12.5 cardinal the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee approved toward aerial postulation power (ATC) modernization.

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

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

"We've got $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 the priority? So we are bringing successful these stakeholders, these experts from each antithetic areas," Nehls said.

"We're bringing successful these individuals that cognize astir a batch dealing with a batch of this technology, they're the archetypal radical that is coming successful to speech about, you know, what bash we bash astir fibre optics."

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to reports that the blackout was caused by a fried portion of copper wire, which Nehls said was an illustration of the outdated strategy ATC was moving on.

Nehls pledged to enactment intimately with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. (Getty Images)

The archetypal gathering of the panel, which volition see 2 Republicans and 2 Democrats, is acceptable for aboriginal June, helium said.

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"We're going to conscionable with caller stakeholders to supply the guidance. And I'm going to bash a batch of listening. I'm not going to bash a full batch of talking," Nehls said. "So we tin marque a precise deliberate and informed determination connected however we're going to walk the wealth with payer wealth to modernize the system. So I deliberation that's a measurement successful the close direction."

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