Tuesday, July 28, 2026
Aero Club of Washington
Capital Hilton, Washington, D.C.
Thank you to the Aero Club, industry leaders, and Deputy Secretary Bradbury – I am deeply honored for this award and so pleased to be here today with so many friends. No Secretary of Transportation accomplishes anything alone. Success comes from teamwork—from dedicated public servants, FAA professionals, aviation workers, airport operators, and innovators who devote themselves every day to keeping the world’s safest and most complex aviation system operating successfully.
I accept this honor on behalf of all of them.
Before I go further, let me say a few words about this amazing scholarship program that got its footing around the time we took office in 2017 at the Department.
With a total investment of $75,000, 15 students will receive scholarships for studying to become pilots, engineers, or enter STEM related fields and airport operations management. I remember when I was here speaking to the Club in 2017, when the first cohort of student recipients received their award.
I’ve often spoken about how important it is to lift up the next generation even as we lead in our own careers — and that’s why I’m so thrilled to see how far this program has come and to celebrate the remarkable recipients with us today. The future of this industry is bright, and so much of that brightness is standing right here in this room.
When I was Secretary of Transportation, I always emphasized three priorities in every speech or room: Safety, Infrastructure and Innovation. Those three guide our current opportunity to modernize our national airspace for the next generation.
Aviation is more than an industry. It is one of the great connective forces of modern life — an invisible network in the skies that binds our nation to the world and draws distant places into a single, shared community. But networks like this one do not sustain themselves. They endure only through sustained investment, ever-advancing technology, and — above all — the unwavering confidence of the public that the system carrying them is safe. Without any one of these three, the system falls apart.
First, safety. The traveling public does not measure our success by our press releases. They measure it by whether their loved ones arrive home. Recent tragedies deeply impacted families, communities, and the entire aviation ecosystem. They served as a stark reminder that safety can never be taken for granted and trust and confidence can quickly fall.
Almost ten years ago, we proposed a comprehensive overhaul of the air traffic control system and new funding to sustain it. It did not pass, but now a new vision for bolstering the system we have has taken hold. We can’afford to let this moment slip through our fingers a second time. To act after the next tragedy is to have waited too long.
Second, infrastructure. For too many years, ATC modernization has been treated as a line item to be trimmed, deferred, or studied one more time. The $12.5 billion down payment on modernization is just a start, but a down payment is not a finish line. Congress must sustain this commitment through appropriations, through reauthorization, and through the political will to see it through more than one budget cycle.
And third, innovation. When I was Secretary, we worked hard to make the Department tech-neutral and performance-based — to enable innovation rather than pick winners and losers. That same mindset must guide us now. We need to liberate air traffic control from the constraints that have slowed it for decades — to give the FAA the authority and the agility to procure modern technology on modern timelines, to attract and retain the next generation of controllers, and to prepare our airspace for drones, for advanced air mobility, for commercial space, and for whatever comes next.
Modernizing air traffic control is about more than efficiency.
It is about resilience, scalability, and maintaining safety while accommodating growth.
So here is my call to action.
To Congress: Pass the funding. Sustain the funding. And take the harder step of structural reform while the political coordination can exist. This does not need to be an issue just for one party, and we need to educate everyday Americans about the value in investing in the system, so both parties are driven to the table.
To the Administration: Move with the urgency this moment demands and the sense of importance we all felt after that terrible night on the Potomac. Secretary Duffy has put forward a serious plan. Turn that plan into steel, software, and staffing — quickly, transparently, and accountably.
And to our industry partners: Speak with one voice and don’t let good be the enemy of perfect, and prioritize investing in your own system infrastructure alongside the federal actions.
The nation is watching. The window is open. And windows do not stay open forever. We have been given something rare in Washington — a moment of clarity, a moment of consensus, and a moment of opportunity.
Of course, the future of aviation ultimately depends on the next generation workforce – like mechanics, pilots, technicians, and air traffic controllers. Workforce development has always been important to me, back to my time as Secretary of Labor, and aviation offers extraordinary opportunities for young people from every background – if they are aware of the pathways available to them. That’s why I’m so encouraged to see the Aero Club’s efforts to support future aviation leaders.
Let’s continue to work hard, ensuring the system remains resilient, innovative, and worthy of the public’s trust for generations to come. Thank you and God Bless you.
