Rep. Gabe Vasquez questions officials on El Paso airspace shutdown

WASHINGTON, D.C. (KVIA)- Tuesday, Congressman Gabe Vasquez questioned Department of Defense officials on the abrupt closure of the El Paso Airport and surrounding airspace on February 11.

The questioning was during a House Armed Services Committee hearing, where Congressman Vasquez asked for answers as to where the communications failure occurred and what steps the DoD is taking to prevent situations similar to February 11 from occurring in the future.

During the hearing, Rep. Vasquez also secured a commitment from the Department of Defense officials for a classified briefing on what led to the sudden closure of the El Paso airport and subsequent coordination issues to help protect New Mexicans from similar situations in the future.