Transport Secretary Sean Duffy has slammed his President Joe Biden-era counterpart, Pete Buttigieg, for causing the Notice To Air Mission/Airmen (NOTAM) system to break down under his tutelage, amid air traffic control modernization efforts.
First Nationwide Grounding Since 9/11
In a post on X on Tuesday, Duffy shared a video outlining the NOTAM outage in 2023 due to a glitch that led to the closure of American airspace. “Under Pete Buttigieg, the NOTAM system that alerts pilots about information like weather, airspace & runway closures BROKE DOWN – grounding planes nationwide for the first time since 9/11,” Duffy said.
He then shared that Buttigieg didn’t update the system, which had been in place since 1985 and that its outdated nature caused the shutdown. “Under my leadership, America now has a BRAND NEW state-of-the-art NOTAM system,” he said.
Changing NOTAM’s Name
Duffy also outlined that Buttigieg had “spent his energy” on renaming NOTAM from Notice To Airmen to Notice To Air Mission in another post on X.
“Pete Buttigieg was so obsessed with pronouns, he put your safety at risk,” the Transport Secretary said. “We are modernizing our skies, safely, and ahead of schedule,” he said.
Sean Duffy Defends Against Reality TV Criticism
Duffy has been facing backlash over his upcoming reality TV show titled “The Great American Road Trip,” with economist Robert Reich raising possible conflicts of interest issues, pointing out that the show was sponsored by companies that the DOT regulated, including Boeing Co. (NYSE:BA) and Toyota Motor Corp (NYSE:TM).
Duffy also faced backlash from Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA), who called Duffy a “total disgrace,” as the reality TV show was revealed. Duffy, on the other hand, defended the show, saying that it was filmed over weekends and Spring Break and no taxpayer dollars were used to produce it.
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