Congressional hearing on ground stop?

WASHINGTON – A congressional committee chaired by Long Island Rep. Andrew Garbarino could be the first to hear directly from Trump administration officials about Friday’s nationwide ground stop halting air traffic.

The House Homeland Security Committee has a previously scheduled hearing set for Wednesday on “Worldwide Threats To The Homeland: 25 Years After 9/11.”

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is to be the featured witness, along with FBI, immigration and other officials.

There were no responses Friday from Garbarino’s congressional office or committee aides to requests for comment on the ground stop, or what, if anything, his committee will be looking into.

But Mullin is certain to be grilled during the hearing Wednesday about any evidence of a cyber-attack, and other homeland security aspects of a national air traffic communications system.

As of late Friday night, Mullin was saying there is no evidence or “footprint” of a cyberattack or intruder.

But both he and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy were insisting that Congress must provide the Trump Administration $50 billion in emergency funding to begin addressing the outdated communications and radar systems that led to Friday’s ground stop of U.S. flights.