Aviation Subcommittee Ranking Member Duckworth Statement on Reports that Trump’s DoD Shot Down CBP Drone in Texas

[WASHINGTON, DC] – U.S. Senator and Ranking Member of the Senate’s Aviation Subcommittee Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today issued the following statement regardingreportsthat the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) accidentally shot down a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) drone in Texas:
“The Trump Administration’s incompetence continues to cause chaos in our skies.
“On the heels of the NTSB confirming that the failure of DoD and FAA to effectively communicate resulted in the tragic loss of life above DCA, we now see that—a full year later—dysfunction continues to endanger our aviation system, from DoD dismissing FAA safety warnings against allowing DHS to use its counter drone laser system, to now DoD reportedly using its high energy laser C-UAS to shoot down a DHS drone paid for by taxpayers.
“The situation is alarming and demands a thorough, independent investigation. As Ranking Member of the Aviation Subcommittee, I will be calling on the Inspectors General of the Departments of Defense, Transportation and Homeland Security to launch a joint investigation into the recent scandals in El Paso and now Fort Hancock.”
-30-