Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned of possible flight delays and cancellations during the government shutdown on Thursday, saying the federal security system depends on air traffic controllers going to work even without pay.
“I can’t guarantee you that your flight will be on time. I can’t guarantee that your flight won’t be canceled. It will depend on our air traffic controllers coming to work every day,” Duffy said at a news conference with House Republican leadership at the Capitol on Thursday.
Duffy thanked air traffic controllers for working without pay.
Duffy blamed the Democrats, saying, “We need you to come to work. But if they don’t come, we’ll know whose fault it is.”
Duffy said he has visited several different air traffic towers over two weeks, and air traffic controllers – some of whom work six days a week – are “angry” and “frustrated”. He warned that some of them may consider taking a second job to pay the bills.
Air travel is one of the most closely monitored issues In the shutdown, and a huge number of Americans felt it. In 2019, the impact on flights due to air travel controllers being shut down was crucial in resolving the longest shutdown ever.
Duffy said Thursday that staffing shortages at the towers will lead to flight delays and cancellations.
“Safety is paramount,” Duffy said. “If we don’t have the staffing levels … you’ll see us delaying traffic. You’ll see us canceling flights.”
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-Mo.) said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) “is weaponizing air traffic controllers and he’s weaponizing families as we go into the holiday season,” adding that cancellations and delays “will happen, eventually.”
Air traffic controllers and other federal employees received partial pay checks on October 10, because that pay period included part of the month of September before funding ended. Federal employees, including air traffic controllers, will not receive their first full payday on Friday.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said that while the Trump administration was able to “invoke a statute dating back to the 1930s” to fund the Women, Infants and Children Food Assistance Program and earlier this month received unconditional funds to pay service members, he is “running out of creative ideas” to pay critical federal workers during the shutdown.
“There is no money right now that can cover the salaries of air traffic controllers,” Johnson said.
The Senate is set to vote on Thursday On the bill to pay essential government employees During shutdown. Johnson said he expected the bill to fail due to opposition from Democrats.
The transportation secretary also said he is concerned that the shutdown is having an impact on air traffic controller recruits studying at the academy in Oklahoma City, as the department is about 3,800 short of its air traffic controller staffing goal.
“I’m getting messages from Oklahoma City, where I have young air traffic controller students now asking me, ‘What am I doing? Why am I going to take this job?’ Those smart young men and women are thinking about leaving the academy, Duffy said, because they don’t want to work for a system that won’t pay them.
