Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy maintains the recent closure of El Paso airport was justified and plans to address congressional concerns next week. The FAA initially announced a 10-day shutdown before reversing the decision within hours.
WASHINGTON – Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy defended the federal government’s decision to temporarily shut down El Paso’s airport last week, telling reporters Friday that the closure was warranted despite swift reversal of the order.
The Federal Aviation Administration had announced plans to keep the Texas airport closed for 10 days, but changed course and reopened it just hours after the initial announcement.
Multiple news organizations, including Reuters, reported that aviation officials made the closure decision due to safety worries related to a military laser system designed to counter drone threats. When questioned about whether his social media comments regarding the situation were inaccurate, Duffy responded: “I use the information that I get.”
The Transportation Secretary indicated his department will provide a briefing to members of Congress next week, addressing lawmakers’ substantial questions about how the airport closure was handled.
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