The White House and the Transportation Department are asking Congress for another $30.1 billion to modernize U.S. airports and air traffic control, according to a letter reported Friday by Reuters. The request includes $10.1 billion for air traffic control modernization, $2 billion for control towers and $18 billion for airport projects. Congress approved $12.5 billion last year for an earlier round of improvements and controller hiring.

The request comes from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and White House budget director Russell Vought, Reuters reported. Their letter asks lawmakers to put more money behind an overhaul that is already underway, while also financing work at airports. The administration wants Congress to act before the change in control in January. Lawmakers would still have to approve the funding, including how much should go to the Federal Aviation Administration and how much should support airport projects.

Automation accounts for most of the air traffic request

Of the $10.1 billion for air traffic control modernization, about $7.2 billion would go to automation platforms and controller workstations, according to Reuters. Another $2 billion would go toward cloud computing. These items concern the tools controllers and the FAA use to manage traffic. The separate $2 billion for towers concerns the facilities where some of that work takes place, including replacing or improving aging structures.

The department has described work already underway on telecommunications lines, radar, radios and the transition from paper to electronic flight strips. The new money would extend an effort for which the Transportation Department has already identified projects. Vought and Duffy told lawmakers the FAA had replaced 68 percent of its legacy copper telecommunications network with fiber. That is a progress measure for one part of the program. It leaves open how quickly other equipment and software can be installed, tested and brought into operation.

Airport projects take the largest share

The request would direct $18 billion to airports, including $10 billion to modernize or replace older terminals, Reuters reported. Terminal projects affect the facilities passengers use to reach gates and make connections, while air traffic control investments affect the FAA systems that guide aircraft. Congress will be deciding how to distribute resources between those needs and whether to put conditions on how the money is used.

The request follows an earlier push by Sen. Eric Schmitt, a Missouri Republican, who introduced the Modern Skies Act in September. His office described the bill as building on the $12.5 billion investment while funding air traffic equipment, towers and airports. Airports Council International–North America endorsed the earlier proposal’s $18 billion in airport infrastructure spending. The new letter provides the administration’s latest funding breakdown. The legislation and any eventual appropriation will determine the amounts available for specific projects.

Auditors say the program needs stronger cost and schedule planning

The GAO warned in September that the FAA needed better cost and schedule planning for its modernization program. The Government Accountability Office reported that the FAA planned to use most of the 2025 appropriation for the first phase and that agency officials expected to need additional funds to finish portions of that phase and carry out a second one. The auditors drew on the FAA’s prior experience with delays and cost overruns to explain why it matters to have a well-documented estimate and schedule.

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s reporting on a September hearing said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford put the cost of completing the first phase at $16 billion and urged Congress to provide more money. That phase estimate and the new $30.1 billion request describe different sets of expenses. The broader request includes airport terminal and other projects alongside the federal air traffic control work, while the phase estimate concerns the scope of the FAA’s initial overhaul.

The auditors also distinguished between the cost of acquiring replacement systems and the cost of operating them over time. Both are relevant to the funding decision. New equipment can carry installation, training and maintenance costs well beyond the initial purchase. The GAO report gives appropriators a way to assess the proposal against the agency’s existing obligations.

The next decision is what Congress will fund

The administration has support from major airlines, Reuters reported. Industry groups have argued that newer facilities and equipment would help keep the aviation system reliable. The audit gives lawmakers a separate basis for asking which projects have firm schedules, how much they will cost to maintain after installation, and what the FAA can complete using funds already appropriated. Those questions will matter whether Congress adopts the request as a package or funds selected pieces.

For airports and controllers, the practical milestones will be awards and contracts followed by equipment placed in service. For Congress, the immediate decisions concern the total amount, eligible projects and how the FAA reports progress on work already funded. The Friday request puts a specific dollar figure on those choices. The timing of construction and deployment will depend on what lawmakers approve and the implementation plans that accompany it.