[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 80 (Tuesday, May 13, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H1989]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TROUBLING SITUATION IN NEWARK

  (Ms. KAPTUR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, many across our Nation are outraged at the 
$400 million luxury airplane, the palace in the sky, that President 
Trump just accepted from the Nation of Qatar. That is against the 
Emoluments Clause of the Constitution. He took the bribe in plain 
sight.
  Meanwhile, our Nation is very short on air controllers who are 
trained. Look at Newark, New Jersey. They have had radar failures and 
repeated flight delays due to serious staffing shortages. This is true 
across our country, but what did the Secretary of Transportation, Mr. 
Duffy, say? He said: What you see in Newark is going to happen in other 
places across the country. My reply: Excuses aren't an answer.
  Going forward, what do we need to do? As of May 1, we are 3,000 air 
controllers short in this country. The workforce is aging. They are 
stretched thin and understaffed, exacerbated by DOGE buyouts and 
firings. The FAA just simply doesn't have the people, and it is going 
to get worse as people travel this summer.
  While Newark grabs headlines, the pain is felt across America. Mr. 
Speaker, let President Trump sell the plane, $400 million, and put that 
money into training more air controllers for their safety and for the 
safety of this Nation.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Crank). Members are reminded to refrain 
from engaging in personalities toward the President.

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