Duffy slams Biden admin for aviation issues, says COVID would have been 'perfect time' to fix it

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Monday slammed the Biden administration for ongoing aviation issues that he claimed to have inherited from predecessor Pete Buttigieg. 

The secretary held a press briefing on the massive failures that have been haunting Newark Liberty International Airport over the past couple weeks, which have caused major flight delays and cancellations. On Monday alone, Newark and the Atlanta International airport experienced more than 450 flight delays, per the New York Post.

Duffy laid out his plans for fixing the problems, including big-picture solutions like asking Congress for immediate financing, but said that the Biden administration was at least partially responsible for the debacle because it was aware of the technology and staffing issues that plagued Newark.

"We didn't have to be here," Duffy said. "This did not have to be our story. Over the last four years, the last administration, they knew this was a problem. And by the way, during COVID, when people weren't flying, that was a perfect time to fix these problems."

The Biden administration has largely rejected Duffy's accusations, which he also made last week, with Buttigieg stating that the rhetoric is "just politics," but that the underlying issues in the Newark airport are a "major concern."

“It’s obviously a real concern, a major concern,” Buttigieg told former Biden White House press secretary Jen Psaki. “When you become Secretary of Transportation, you know that your most important priority is safety. I understood that, my predecessors understood that, and my successor says that he understands that. I hope and expect that he does too, and everything else takes a back seat to that.”

The flight delays regarding Newark have been caused by multiple issues, including staffing shortages, harsh weather, and ongoing runway construction.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.