(DC BUREAU) – Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said the U.S. air traffic control system is in desperate need of modernization, after a crash between a fire truck and an Air Canada CRJ-900 at LaGuardia Airport on Sunday night. Late last year, the Department of Transportation said in a news release that Congress needs to give the department an additional $20 billion to fund a new air traffic control system. "I'm not saying that this crash would have been prevented if we had all the equipment deployed, but it's important if we care about air travel safety," Duffy said. Homendy agreed. "It's not just air traffic control. It's safety all around," she said. "We have an old air traffic control system." On Sunday night, a fire truck at LaGuardia requested clearance to cross a runway while the Air Canada jet was approaching. The truck and the passenger plane collided, killing the two pilots and injuring dozens of others. Homendy said two controllers were working at the time, which is standard. The FAA said in an emailed statement LaGuardia has the ASDE-X ground radar system, which is supposed to help controllers "monitor aircraft and vehicles on runways and taxiways." But Homendy said controllers didn't see the truck on the ground radar system. She said the truck didn't have a transponder, equipment that would help trigger the airport's runway collision warning system. "Controllers should have all the information and the tools to do their job," Homendy said. Both Homendy and Duffy urge Congress to get involved — and fund modernization efforts for the air traffic control system. But, so far, Congress has not responded to the last deadly commercial aviation crash. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, the committee that oversees aviation. "I'm deeply troubled by what happened," Cruz said about the crash on Sunday night. Cruz led efforts to pass legislation following the last crash involving a passenger jet. On Jan. 29, 2025, an American Airlines CRJ-700 on approach to Reagan National Airport collided with a military Black Hawk helicopter, killing 67 people on board both aircraft. The NTSB investigation made a number of recommendations, including requiring all aircraft to broadcast more precise location data using a technology called ADSB-Out. The army helicopter at the time was not transmitting that information. Cruz introduced legislation called the ROTOR Act to require aircraft to broadcast using ADSB-Out and limits the situations under which the military would be excepted. His legislation passed the Senate unanimously but failed in the House of Representatives. "By failing to pass the ROTOR Act, the House, unfortunately, jeopardized the safety of the flying public," Cruz said. Homendy said investigators are now looking into the technology and staffing at LaGuardia Air Traffic Control.