From PBS NewsHour.

Rep. Norma Torres, D- Calif., questioned Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy Wednesday about staffing concerns and the loss of air traffic controllers, claims which Duffy called “falsehoods” and “misinformation.”

Torres said that President Donald Trump’s administration has offered deferred resignations to air traffic controllers and claimed “at least 400 of them responsible for maintaining air traffic control systems were fired, resulting in delays to much needed upgrades.”

Duffy pushed back, saying no air traffic controllers were fired and blamed former President Joe Biden’s administration for the shortage.

“We didn’t have 3,000 controller shortages in the last 100 days. There was four years that came before, where nothing was done. And watchdog groups have warned the DOT that the infrastructure was failing, and nothing was done,” Duffy said.

DOT has said that fewer than 400 FAA employees were terminated, but none were air traffic control or essential employees.

Duffy’s appearance before the House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development comes as key administration officials present their budget requests. Duffy’s requests come as significant outages have impacted flights at Newark Liberty International Airport.

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