August 12, 2025

Duckworth Visits MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, Discusses Federal Aviation Priorities and Infrastructure Improvements

 

[MASCOUTAH, IL] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation—today met with MidAmerica St. Louis Airport Director Darren James and airport leadership to hear concerns about the impacts of Trump’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) cuts. She also toured ongoing improvement projects supported by federal funding she secured, including the MetroLink Red Line extension project.

 

“MidAmerica St. Louis Airport is an essential economic hub for our state and the region, and making sure it has the support it needs to expand its infrastructure is a top priority,” Duckworth said. “As we continue to face an aviation safety crisis and the predictable impacts of Trump’s harmful FAA cuts, it’s clear we should be investing more in our aviation system—not less. I will keep working alongside Director James and MidAmerica Airport leadership to advocate for federal investments that will make our skies safer, modernize infrastructure and support economic development across Southern Illinois.”

 

Last fall, Duckworth and U.S. Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced $3,536,912 for infrastructure improvements at Scott Air Force Base and MidAmerica St. Louis Airport through the Airport Improvement Program (AIP). This funding, provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration, supports airport improvement projects across the state such as reinforcing taxiway structural integrity, expanding terminal buildings to accommodate more passengers and aircraft operations and implementing modernization measures. These measures include reducing noise pollution for nearby residents, increasing clean energy opportunities, improving drainage infrastructure and mitigating wildlife attractants.

 

Earlier this year, Duckworth and Durbin sent a letter to Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy criticizing the Trump Administration’s mismanagement of federal funding for Illinois transportation and infrastructure projects. In their letter, the Senators called for more clarity on the future of transportation and infrastructure grants and formula funding for states that were included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which was strongly supported by both Duckworth and Durbin.

 

In June, Duckworth introduced the Don’t Miss Your Flight Act that would use existing federal funding to create an incentive for surface transportation projects at and within five miles of a public airport that improve access, reduce congestion or rehabilitate roads, rail or transit, making catching a flight or coming home from the airport easier and faster for Americans across the country. This bill would help increase support and funding for projects like the MetroLink connection to MidAmerica Airport.

 

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