Washington, D.C. – Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has come under fire for what critics are calling a “ridiculous” attempt to shift blame for ongoing airline chaos onto his predecessor, Pete Buttigieg, and the Biden administration. On May 13, 2025, Duffy claimed that the technical glitches and safety lapses plaguing Newark Liberty International Airport—resulting in hundreds of flight delays and cancellations—were a direct result of the “Biden-Buttigieg administration’s” failures. The statement, made during a press conference, has sparked outrage among Democrats and travelers, with many questioning Duffy’s competence and demanding his resignation.
Newark Airport has been a focal point of national frustration since late April 2025, when a radar outage on April 28 triggered two weeks of disruptions. On May 10, air traffic controllers briefly lost radar access for 90 seconds, followed by another outage over the weekend, leading to over 150 delayed flights and 80 cancellations by May 12, per NBC News. Duffy announced plans to reduce flights at Newark for several weeks, citing safety concerns, and unveiled a multibillion-dollar proposal to overhaul the nation’s air traffic control system—a system he admitted relies on outdated technology, with parts sourced from eBay, as he told Newsweek on May 11.
Duffy’s attempt to pin the crisis on Biden has drawn sharp criticism. “These issues didn’t happen when Democrats were in power,” one X user remarked, pointing out that the problems escalated after Trump’s January 2025 inauguration. Duffy specifically blamed the Biden administration’s 2024 decision to move Newark’s air traffic control from New York to Philadelphia, claiming the transition was “bungled” and left telecom lines error-prone. Yet, he also admitted the issues date back decades, inadvertently noting that 2020—Trump’s final year in his first term—was an ideal time to address them, a contradiction highlighted by progressive commentator Brian Tyler Cohen on X.
Critics argue Duffy’s leadership is failing. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, on May 12, demanded Duffy “immediately fix” Newark’s situation, warning that “radar screens going dark” and controllers unable to communicate with planes signal a dangerous crisis. Some on X have accused Trump of exacerbating the issue by firing 400 FAA employees, including radar maintenance staff, a claim that lacks official confirmation but fuels the narrative of administrative mismanagement. Duffy’s own statements raise concerns—on Meet the Press, he admitted, “What you see in Newark is going to happen in other places,” a chilling warning that has travelers on edge, especially after he expressed reluctance to let his own wife fly through Newark due to its “not ideal” conditions.
The Biden administration has pushed back. A Buttigieg spokesperson told The Independent on May 13 that Duffy should “spend more time fixing problems and less time blaming others,” defending Biden’s efforts to hire more air traffic controllers and fund infrastructure upgrades. The FAA currently faces a shortage of 3,000 controllers, a problem Duffy plans to address by raising the mandatory retirement age from 56 to 61, though this has done little to quell immediate concerns.
Public frustration is palpable. With summer travel looming, Newark’s reduced capacity—down to 56 arrivals per hour from 80, per Crain’s New York Business—threatens months of misery for passengers. The House estimates a $12.5 billion cost to modernize the air traffic system, but Duffy says his plan will cost more, leaving Congress to grapple with funding amid Trump’s proposed tax cuts. Travelers and lawmakers alike are calling for accountability, with some on X urging Duffy to resign and let “someone more competent” take over.
Duffy’s blame game may be a distraction from systemic failures that predate both administrations, but his leadership is under scrutiny. The crisis at Newark, compounded by a lack of transparency and concrete solutions, suggests a deeper inability to manage a critical infrastructure challenge. As one X user put it, “Fix it or step aside.” With air travel safety at stake, Duffy’s next moves will be closely watched.
