It was not a mistake to close the airspace around El Paso, Texas, last week, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at a news conference Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n
He declined to share details about what happened and the subsequent finger pointing<\/a>, saying he would speak to Congress before addressing it publicly.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a briefing next week on Capitol Hill. We are going to go through that briefing and talk to the members of Congress,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Last Wednesday, the Federal Aviation Administration abruptly grounded all flights up to 18,000 feet around the Texas city for 10 days, effectively shutting down El Paso International Airport.<\/p>\n The decision to close the airspace was made without first telling the White House, sources told CNN, and drew intense focus inside the West Wing. The restrictions were reversed about eight hours later.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think there was a lack of communication,\u201d Duffy said. \u201cWe have good partners. I\u2019m friends with all of the players that are involved. From Marco (Rubio) to Pete (Hegseth) to Kristi (Noem). We all know each other well and we all communicate well.\u201d<\/p>\n Duffy initially posted on social media<\/a> that the closure was because of the military acting to \u201caddress a cartel drone incursion\u201d which had been \u201cneutralized.\u201d<\/p>\n However, sources told CNN the closure came after Customs and Border Protection officials deployed a high-energy counter-drone laser<\/a> on loan from the Pentagon without having coordinated with the FAA about potential risks to civilian flights.<\/p>\n \u201cI use information that I get,\u201d Duffy said before asking if any questions related to the trucking industry, which was the intended focus of his remarks.<\/p>\n \u201cI appreciate the interest in El Paso\u2026 I served on the Hill, as you know, and I think we owe a conversation with the Hill before I have a conversation with you. And so that\u2019s what we will do,\u201d Duffy said. \u201cI\u2019ll take the Hill\u2019s questions before yours and, you know, we\u2019ll go from there.\u201d<\/p>\n CNN\u2019s Alayna Treene, Kevin Liptak, Natasha Bertrand and Pete Muntean contributed to this report.<\/p>\n