Most important, the current governance arrangement jeopardizes safety, because the FAA both operates and regulates the air-traffic-control system. This is a clear conflict of interest, and one that the International Civil Aviation Organization has directed member countries to eliminate.

The shortage on Monday forced the F.A.A. to delay flights to the busy airport for up to nearly seven hours, the latest problem to plague the airport.

Alongside the deliberate dismantling of public health in the US under Trump, the breakdown of the aviation infrastructure continues apace.

When asked about who is most at fault for the recent chaos at Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey voters spread the blame around in a recent poll.