“Incompetence” or defective equipment? Duffy blames the airline contractor and demands $50 billion from Congress.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sought to reassure air travelers worried about the fallout from Friday’s hour-long nationwide ground stop, while pointing the finger at a government contractor and possible “incompetence” for the calamity.

In a news conference plagued by audio problems, he also highlighted his call for $50 billion from Congress to modernize the rickety system.

“We are going to give a great end-of-year Christmas gift to the American people,” he said. “We’re going to make a lot of money.”

However, Congress was lukewarm on Duffy’s previous $30 billion request, which he had been pushing for for several months.