HYDE-SMITH SUPPORTS FAA UPGRADES, DISAPPOINTED IN PROPOSED ESSENTIAL AIR SERVICE CUTS FOR SMALLER MARKETS
Hyde-Smith Chairs Appropriations Hearing to Review FY2026 USDOT Budget Request
VIDEO: Chairman Hyde-Smith Opening Statement Assessing FY2026 Transportation Department Budget.
VIDEO: Chairman Hyde-Smith Questions Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss), chair of the Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee, today stated her support for additional funding to upgrade the nation’s air traffic control system, but expressed disappointment in a budget proposal to cut Essential Air Service (EAS) grants to smaller market airports, including several in Mississippi.
Hyde-Smith on Thursday chaired a subcommittee hearing to review the FY2026 “skinny” budget request for the U.S. Department of Transportation.
“I have enjoyed our recent conversations and appreciate our mutual admiration of rural America,” Hyde-Smith told Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. “While we recently received the skinny budget, as we call it, we look forward to a more detailed breakdown of the proposed budget funding. Our bill simply cannot be written without it.”
Hyde-Smith and her colleagues expressed interest in exploring how the administration can work with Congress to modernize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the nation’s air traffic control system, a need which came into sharp focus after a January aircraft collision over the Potomac River.
“We’re all very troubled by the mishaps and challenges within our nation's air traffic control systems, the staffing shortages, and the technological issues, particularly in the Newark airspace. They’re not isolated incidents and these have been happening across the country. They highlight a system that is under tremendous strain,” Hyde-Smith said. “Congress has a clear opportunity and a responsibility to act. I commend you and President Trump for the recent commitment to invest in upgrading this critical infrastructure and to reinforce the air traffic workforce. It is certainly much needed and a step in the right direction.”
Duffy, who indicated funding for air traffic control upgrades cannot wait until the new FY2026 fiscal year, provided detailed information on the various actions the FAA is taking to recruit, train, and retain air traffic controllers.
Hyde-Smith, who has championed aviation education programs at Delta State University and Hinds Community College, also asked Duffy whether hiring additional air traffic controllers could be improved by involving more colleges and universities in the FAA Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative, which teaches the basics of air traffic control before qualified students are admitted to the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City.
Duffy suggested schools with aviation programs would benefit from a competitive grant program to offset the costs of air traffic control simulators.
“The simulators are expensive for air traffic controllers,” Duffy said. “I think there are five schools around the country that want to be involved in training up those air traffic controllers.”
For Mississippi, Hyde-Smith pointed out her disappointment with a proposed $308 million cut to the EAS program, which supports passenger air service in smaller markets like Tupelo, Hattiesburg, and Greenville.
“I was disappointed to see that the administration proposes drastic cuts to the Essential Air Service program. As we have discussed, the EAS program connects our nation’s rural communities to the broader transportation network by facilitating safe air travel for customers traveling to and from smaller markets like in Greenville, Mississippi, Tupelo, and Hattiesburg, Mississippi,” Hyde-Smith told Duffy. “I know you understand the importance of this program from your time as a congressman when you had multiple EAS-supported airports in your district. Drastically cutting this program will have a severe impact on EAS-supported rural communities and regions that rely on having access to the broader transportation network. Additionally, new businesses rarely locate in areas without dependable commercial air service. So, supporting these rural airports is vital for future economic development.”
Separately, Duffy committed to work with Hyde-Smith on finally getting the FAA to include the Trent Lott International Airport in Pascagoula in the Federal Contract Tower Program. Hyde-Smith expressed frustration with the delay after the previous administration indicated it was making progress on the proposal.
“I asked about how the Trent Lott International Airport in Pascagoula can become the eighth Mississippi airport to join this important program. I was told then that the Department, through the FAA, was making significant progress with the airport in bringing this tower into the federal program. Yet today, the Pascagoula tower has still not been admitted. I do not understand what is causing the delay, but it is troubling that it has taken so long for this transfer to occur,” Hyde-Smith said.
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