Why Congress Won't Stop Hijacking Air Travel

Why Congress Won't Stop Hijacking Air Travel

From Lever Time by David Sirota

April 2, 2026 · 46 min · Season 7 · Episode 17

About this episode

David Sirota discusses the current crisis in U.S. air travel and its political implications with aviation expert Bill McGee.

Hours-long TSA lines, air traffic controller shortages, and skyrocketing flight prices. Deadly crashes, failing safety regulations, and international threats. There’s no doubt about it: U.S. air travel has been a hot mess in 2026. How did we hit such turbulence? And how does the current crisis tie into a decades-long master plan to hold airplane safety hostage for political gain? Today on Lever Time, David Sirota sits down with Bill McGee, senior fellow for aviation and travel at the American Economic Liberties Project, to answer the question everyone is asking: Is it still safe to fly? Get ad-free episodes, bonus content and extended interviews by becoming a member at levernews.com/join. To leave a tip for The Lever, click here. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: David Sirota

Guest: Bill McGee

Topics covered

  • air travel
  • TSA
  • air traffic control
  • safety regulations
  • political gain
  • aviation crisis

Keywords

  • TSA lines
  • air traffic controller shortages
  • flight prices
  • airplane safety
  • political gain

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: American Economic Liberties Project

Places: U.S.

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