Millions of travelers are descending on American cities as the world’s best soccer teams duke it out for the World Cup trophy. Fans will have plenty to celebrate both inside and outside stadiums, but getting there may be a different story.
As demand for air travel surges, passengers are facing an elevated risk of delays and disruptions caused by a precariously overstretched—and outdated—air traffic control system. Fans can thank former Transportation Secretary and 2028 Democratic hopeful Pete Buttigieg for dropping the ball. Rather than tackling problems head-on, he allowed them to fester.
America’s aviation system is the gold standard for air travel. But beneath the surface, cracks have been building for years. For starters, the U.S. is short thousands of air traffic controllers. These are the highly trained professionals responsible for guiding hundreds of aircraft every day through some of the busiest airspaces on earth.
These shortages are wreaking havoc at major gateways like Newark, a critical entry point for international travelers headed to the New York area. The airport is currently operating with a skeleton crew of air traffic controllers, forcing Uncle Sam to reduce flights at the facility through October.
The technology keeping planes moving isn’t much better. Many controllers across the country still rely on decades-old technology that is better suited for a museum display. The result is an aviation system that’s prone to up to 1,000 equipment-related flight disruptions every single week.
None of these issues emerged overnight. But during his tenure as Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg allowed these gaps to widen while he watched from the sidelines. Now, as Buttigieg climbs the ranks of potential Democratic contenders for a 2028 White House bid, voters deserve an honest look at his record.
As the country’s transportation chief, Buttigieg was well aware of the mounting problems facing the nation's air traffic control system. But instead of making modernization a top priority, his department directed $80 billion of taxpayer money toward Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Much of the funding that did reach air traffic control went toward maintaining outdated systems rather than modernizing them, according to insiders.
Buttigieg’s woke agenda didn't stop at agency spending. Rather than focusing on recruiting the best and brightest candidates to address the nation’s air traffic controller staffing shortages, his department became consumed with demographic goals and equity initiatives. More applicants entered the system, but washout rates remained stubbornly high, leaving airports with the same staffing woes and taxpayers footing the bill.
As filling workforce and technology gaps took a backseat, Buttigieg seemed far more interested in picking fights with private companies than getting the government’s house in order. From micromanaging how airlines serve customers to rolling out new regulations designed to score political points, Buttigieg consistently treated carriers as villains.
His nitpicking eventually culminated in the recent folding of Spirit Airlines.
When JetBlue sought to acquire the struggling budget carrier during the Biden years, Buttigieg's DOT pushed aggressively to block the merger. Administration officials argued the deal would raise fares. Instead, Spirit spiraled deeper into financial distress, ultimately shutting down and leaving millions of Americans with fewer low-cost choices.
For soccer fans hoping to follow their teams from city to city in a budget-friendly manner, that's one more red card on Buttigieg's record.
Efforts by the current administration are reversing this trend. Air traffic controller hiring is picking up while billions have been directed toward long-overdue modernization efforts. But these fixes won’t happen overnight.
As America hosts one of the largest sporting events in history, travelers can feel confident they'll arrive safely, but not always on time. Soccer fans—and the broader flying public—can credit former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for leaving the country’s aviation system offside.
Jackson Shedelbower is the executive director of the Center for Transportation Policy.