Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA-8) demanded that the FAA shut off a new air traffic tool at Reagan National Airport on the same day it went live. The airport sits in his own district, and the tool is a safety upgrade.
That day was Monday, September 21, 2026. President Trump’s FAA switched on a system called SMART at Reagan National, Dulles and BWI, the first airports in the country to use it.
Air traffic control is the system that guides airplanes safely in and out of airports. Much of it runs on outdated equipment, so modernization means replacing that old gear with new tools.
SMART is one of those modernization tools. It uses artificial intelligence to spot traffic jams in the sky before they form, then suggests a fix to the people in charge. It is part of a $12.5 billion plan to rebuild the nation’s air traffic control system.
The FAA is clear on one point: the tool cannot take control of an aircraft. Leaders at the local control facilities accept or reject its suggestions. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said it plainly: “It’s always going to be a human that manages the airspace in America.”
Beyer put out a press release within hours. He said the FAA “should not use my constituents as guinea pigs” and accused the agency of “dangerously rushing” the system. Then he demanded that the FAA “immediately suspend” its operation.
Those are his words about a safety upgrade at the airport in his own district.
The money for this upgrade came from H.R. 1, the bill that carried $12.5 billion for air traffic control. It was an enormous bill, and it covered far more than airports.
On July 3, 2025, Beyer voted no on Roll Call 190. He voted against the bill that paid for the very upgrade he now wants shut off.
In May 2023, Beyer signed a letter about Reagan National that said “our priority should be the safety and efficiency of flights.”
On January 29, 2025, an Army helicopter and an American Airlines jet collided near Reagan National, and all 67 people on both aircraft were killed. After that night, the need to modernize the system is a matter of record.
In September 2025, Beyer co-hosted a roundtable on airport safety, and the push at that table was for modernization. One year later, modernization arrived at his airport, and he demanded that it be shut off.
United’s CEO said the tool “will do more to reduce delays and cancelations than anything that’s happened in decades.” Delta says it “fully supports” the modernization effort.
The controllers’ union said it was not part of the design and “cannot speak to its effect” yet. The union did not ask for a shutdown. Beyer demanded one within a single day.
The Committee’s view is straightforward. Beyer opposes anything with President Trump’s name on it, even a safety upgrade at the airport in his own district.
He signed the 2023 letter. He co-hosted the 2025 roundtable. He voted no on July 3, 2025. He demanded the shutdown on September 21, 2026. That is his record.
Call Beyer’s Washington office at (202) 225-4376 and tell him to stop blocking the upgrade at Reagan National.
Then vote. Tony Sabio, the Republican running against Beyer, put it in one line: “Nothing he does is for Northern Virginia.” Sabio is on the ballot on Tuesday, November 3, and early voting is open now.
24 million people fly through Reagan National each year, and Beyer says their safety “must be the top priority.” Then he demands the FAA shut off the modernization at their own airport. On November 3, the voters of the 8th District get to answer Don Beyer.