‘American travelers shouldn’t be held hostage by politics in Washington. It’s time to privatize air traffic control,” says Rachel Greszler in the Daily Signal.
“The shutdown-induced mess at U.S. airports,” she writes, “demonstrates yet another consequence of leaving our skies in the hands of a politically driven, budget-dependent, and inefficient government bureaucracy.
“It doesn’t have to be this way.”
She goes on to note that “most other industrialized countries have lower-cost, more efficient air traffic control systems that are insulated from government spending battles. That’s because they are commercialized instead of bureaucratized.”
We could not agree more. In fact, we made this case in February. Here’s what we wrote then:
After the mid-air collision at Reagan National Airport, President Donald Trump cast blame on “diversity, equity, and inclusion” hiring practices at the Federal Aviation Administration. But the problem goes much, much deeper than that.
Decades of gross mismanagement and chronic waste have left the FAA’s air traffic control (ATC) system dangerously ill-prepared to safely do its job. And the only fix is a complete overhaul – something Canada and most other industrial nations did years ago.
Personnel is only half the problem with air traffic control. The other is woefully antiquated technology used by controllers. “For over four decades we have reported on challenges facing FAA’s modernization of its ATC systems,” the Government Accountability Office said in December.
The GAO found that:
The Federal Aviation Administration relies on information systems to help air traffic controllers keep the airspace safe and efficient. Last year, FAA determined that 51 of its 138 systems are unsustainable, citing outdated functionality, a lack of spare parts, and more.
Over half of these unsustainable systems are especially concerning, but FAA has been slow to modernize. Some system modernization projects won’t be complete for another 10-13 years. FAA also doesn’t have plans to modernize other systems in need — 3 of which are at least 30 years old.
Just this weekend, the FAA’s critical “Notice to Air Missions” warning system – which relays important information about possible hazards to pilots and airports – went down, causing delays across the country.
This, mind you, is despite billions spent by the FAA over the past 20 years on a modernization project called NextGen, which was supposed to be finished by now, but has been plagued by – you guessed it – cost overruns and delays.
This is the stuff of Third World countries.
So, what can be done? The answer is simple. Do what Canada did in 1995 when Nav Canada, a nonprofit private company funded by user fees, took over the country’s air traffic control system. The result was rapid modernization, increased efficiency, and lower costs for airlines funding the system.
Canada isn’t alone. As the Reason Foundation’s Robert Poole, who is the preeminent expert in air traffic control modernization, noted: “Over the past 30 years, nearly all major countries have separated air traffic control from their transportation ministries and converted it into a user-funded utility.”
Way back in 1993, Vice President Al Gore recommended taking this step as part of his “reinventing government” effort. Nothing happened.
Poole notes that over the past decade a large coalition – including most airlines, the air traffic controllers’ and the pilots’ unions, and “a large number of former U.S. Department of Transportation and FAA officials” – wants to make this change. In his first term, Trump backed a House bill that would “corporatize” air traffic control.
So, here’s a suggestion for the president: Forget about blaming DEI or Biden or Buttigieg, and fix the problem. Unleash Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency and have them drag the nation’s air traffic control system into the 21st century.
— Written by the I&I Editorial Board
TIPP Curated
Handpicked articles from TIPP Insights & beyond
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5. Explaining Mamdani’s Appeal to the Young, With Polling—Steve Cortes, RealClearPolitics
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7. CBS Ever-So-Gently Asks Clooney About Forcing Biden Out—Tim Graham, The Daily Signal
8. Another Regime-Change War Will Accelerate America’s Slide Into Authoritarianism—Jacob G. Hornberger, Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity
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16. China’s Hands Are In America’s Bacon, Hot Dogs. We Should Be Concerned, New Report Says.—Virginia Allen, The Daily Signal
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18. Election Results Leave GOP Glum, Democrats Giddy—Jacob Adams, The Daily Signal
19. How Trump-Appointed Justices Are Responding To Trump’s Tariffs—Fred Lucas, The Daily Signal
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21. He Wasn’t Afraid’: Erika Kirk Remembers Charlie Kirk As Devoted Father And Fearless Leader—Olivia Pero, The Daily Signal
22. Nancy Pelosi To Retire At End Of Term—George Caldwell, The Daily Signal
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24. Trump Reveals Key for Republicans To Win Elections—Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell, The Daily Signal
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28. Wins For Dems Keep Coming In Virginia As They Expand Majority In State House—Rebecca Downs, The Daily Signal
29. Tucker Carlson Dines With Zacchaeus— David Gornoski, Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity
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31. House Freedom Caucus Chief Weighs Support Gor Longer-Term Continuing Resolution— Jacob Adams, The Daily Signal
32. Woman Who Straight Up Claimed To Be Illegal Wins Mayoral Election In Major City—Jason Hopkins, Daily Caller News Foundation
Catch up on today’s highlights, handpicked by our Breaking News Editor at TIPP Insights.
33. Ukraine Confirms Strike On Russian Drone Base In Donetsk Airport
34. Russia Closes In On Key Ukrainian City Of Pokrovsk After Months Of Fighting
35. Israel Launches Strikes On Hezbollah Targets In Southern Lebanon
36. Pope Meets Palestinian Leader Abbas, Pushes For Two-State Solution Amid Gaza Crisis
37. Study Finds Chinese Students Help Create More U.S. University Programs
38. FAA To Ground Thousands Of Flights If Congress Fails To End Shutdown
39. Trump Administration Boosts SNAP Payouts To 65% Amid Shutdown
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41. Apple Warns EU Rules Are Fueling Fraud And Scams On iPhones
42. Nancy Pelosi To Retire At End Of Term
43. Wall Street Slides As Layoff Data, High Valuations Spook Investors
📊 Market Mood — Friday, November 7, 2025
🟩 Futures Slip Amid Valuation Jitters
U.S. stock futures edged lower, capping a volatile week as investors worried about inflated tech valuations and a weakening labor market amid the prolonged government shutdown.
🟧 Tesla Backs Musk’s $1 Trillion Pay Deal
Shareholders approved Elon Musk’s record compensation package, solidifying his control as Tesla pivots toward AI and robotics.
🟨 Flight Cuts Hit Shutdown-Weary Travelers
A shortage of air traffic controllers forced flight reductions at 40 U.S. airports, disrupting up to 1,800 flights daily.
🟥 U.S. Tightens Nvidia Chip Ban
The White House will block Nvidia’s scaled-back AI chip sales to China, deepening tech-trade tensions.
🟦 China’s Exports Contract
Chinese exports fell 1.1% in October, the first decline in 18 months, signaling global demand cooling and renewed trade strain.
Market round-up in 5 minutes. We bring you up to speed. Subscribe to TIPP Insights for $99/year.
📅 Key Economic Events — Friday, November 7, 2025
🟨 08:30 AM — Average Hourly Earnings (MoM, Sep)
Tracks month-to-month changes in worker pay — a key gauge of wage inflation that influences the Fed’s rate outlook.
🟧 08:30 AM — Nonfarm Payrolls (Sep)
Measures net job creation across the U.S. economy, excluding farming — the single most watched indicator of labor-market strength.
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