U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on 16 July that the Trump administration needs another $19 billion from Congress to complete its plan to modernize the nation’s air-traffic-control network. Lawmakers earlier this month approved $12.5 billion over five years, bringing the total price tag for the overhaul to $31.5 billion. The administration’s blueprint calls for replacing 618 radar systems, upgrading telecommunications links, retrofitting control towers and installing anti-collision technology at 200 airports. The package also sets aside $2 billion for the first new en-route air-traffic center since the 1960s and would fund incentives to recruit and retain controllers, a workforce currently 3,500 short of target levels. Duffy said the request is driven by a spike in near-miss incidents and a January mid-air collision between a U.S. Army helicopter and a regional American Airlines jet that killed 67 people. A National Academies report last month found FAA overtime costs for controllers soared 300 % since 2013, reaching 2.2 million hours and $200 million in 2024 alone. The department plans to solicit bids from companies such as Raytheon and IBM to manage the multi-year program.