Will air traffic control's $12.5 billion update fix employee morale?
Jul 17, 2025•9 min
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Episode description
Earlier this week, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy testified on Capitol Hill, where he thanked Congress for recently approving $12.5 billion dollars to modernize the nation's aging air traffic control system.
But some U.S. air traffic controllers say there's a much deeper problem: a nationwide staffing shortage that leaves controllers overworked and employee morale low.
NPR's Joel Rose and Joe Hernandez spoke with five current and former air traffic controllers to find out what improvements they want to see.
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But some U.S. air traffic controllers say there's a much deeper problem: a nationwide staffing shortage that leaves controllers overworked and employee morale low.
NPR's Joel Rose and Joe Hernandez spoke with five current and former air traffic controllers to find out what improvements they want to see.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
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