National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy told senators Thursday that the Federal Aviation Administration and the Pentagon have a long-running pattern of miscommunication.
She pointed to this week's abrupt El Paso airspace shutdown and reversal as the latest flashpoint as lawmakers press for an interagency briefing.
Homendy said she did not know the full details of the El Paso incident but told the Senate Commerce Committee, "What little I know, I will say there has been miscommunication or no communication between at least the Army and FAA for years."
"I don't understand it — people can't talk? It's astounding to me, but it's not surprising to what we've seen from the investigation," Homendy later said during questioning from Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.
Homendy said the NTSB would not investigate the El Paso episode because the board only investigates accidents.
The FAA issued a temporary flight restriction that was scheduled to run from late Feb. 10 through Feb. 20 local time, barring flights in an area around El Paso up to 17,999 feet, before the agency lifted the restriction hours later.
Trump administration officials said an "errant cartel drone" prompted the order.
In separate reporting, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a social media post on X that the FAA and War Department "acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion" and that "there is no danger to commercial travel in the region."
Other officials and aviation reporters described a dispute over anti-drone technology testing and coordination.
The Associated Press reported that the closure stemmed from Pentagon plans to test an anti-drone laser at the Army's Fort Bliss and accompanying FAA safety concerns, citing people familiar with the situation.
At Thursday's hearing, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said, "If we can get into this kind of conflict, where the FAA is saying that we're going to shut down airspace for 10 days, and then another agency is saying something different … it just seems to me that we have a real problem of coordination between DOD and FAA."
Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., renewed his call for an interagency briefing, and Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called for a closed-door briefing and told reporters it could happen as soon as Thursday.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.