Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will work on upgrading the aviation system, and then fired back at former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton after she weighed in.
“Big News – Talked to the DOGE team. They are going to plug in to help upgrade our aviation system,” Duffy noted in a post on X.
Clinton chimed in, tweeting, “They have no relevant experience. Most of them aren’t old enough to rent a car. And you’re going to let them mess with airline safety that’s already deteriorated on your watch?”
Duffy fired back at Clinton, the Democrat who lost the 2016 presidential election to Donald Trump.
“Madam Secretary, with all due respect, ‘experienced’ Washington bureaucrats are the reason our nation’s infrastructure is crumbling. You need to sit this one out,” Duffy declared.
Business tycoon Elon Musk — who is spearheading the DOGE effort to uncover government waste, fraud, and abuse — indicated that the team will seek to swiftly implement “safety upgrades to the air traffic control system.”
“With the support of President @realDonaldTrump, the @DOGE team will aim to make rapid safety upgrades to the air traffic control system. Just a few days ago, the FAA’s primary aircraft safety notification system failed for several hours!” he noted in a post when responding to Duffy’s announcement.
Someone replied to Musk, noting, “My brother first developed the method of accurately navigating airlines by GPS, 45 years ago. He expected an automated air traffic system long ago. It’s time to do it now. Get rid of 75-year-old ATC radar. Put all the planes on a 3-D map. All paths straight to landing.”
Musk replied, noting that he agrees.
The exchange comes after back-to-back fatal aviation incidents in the U.S. last week, including the collision between a military helicopter and a passenger jet near the Ronald Reagan Washington National airport (DCA) and a Learjet 55 medevac jet that crashed in Philadelphia, killing at least seven people.
