U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, chair of the Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee, has voiced her support for increased funding to enhance the nation’s air traffic control system. However, she expressed dissatisfaction with a budget proposal that suggests cutting Essential Air Service (EAS) grants for smaller market airports, including several in Mississippi.
During a subcommittee hearing on Thursday reviewing the FY2026 budget request for the U.S. Department of Transportation, Hyde-Smith addressed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. “I have enjoyed our recent conversations and appreciate our mutual admiration of rural America,” she stated. “While we recently received the skinny budget, as we call it, we look forward to a more detailed breakdown of the proposed budget funding.”
Hyde-Smith and other committee members are keen to collaborate with the administration to modernize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and improve air traffic control systems nationwide. This need became urgent following 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,” said Hyde-Smith. She commended Duffy and President Trump for their commitment to upgrading critical infrastructure.
Duffy noted that funding for air traffic control upgrades should not be delayed until FY2026. He detailed FAA’s actions to recruit and train air traffic controllers.
Hyde-Smith also highlighted aviation education programs at Delta State University and Hinds Community College, asking Duffy about improving recruitment through more involvement from colleges in FAA training initiatives.
In response, Duffy suggested a competitive grant program could help schools with aviation programs afford costly simulators necessary for training air traffic controllers.
Hyde-Smith expressed disappointment over a proposed $308 million cut to EAS funding affecting small markets like Tupelo, Hattiesburg, and Greenville in Mississippi. “Drastically cutting this program will have a severe impact on EAS-supported rural communities,” she told Duffy.
Additionally, Hyde-Smith is working with Duffy to include Trent Lott International Airport in Pascagoula in the Federal Contract Tower Program after delays under previous administrations. She expressed frustration over these delays: “I do not understand what is causing the delay, but it is troubling that it has taken so long for this transfer to occur.”
