Government Shutdown Affects Air Traffic Controllers
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on Thursday that air traffic controllers who fail to report for work during the government shutdown will face termination.
“If a small number of controllers aren’t consistently present, they’re troublemakers,” Duffy stated, as reported by CNN.
He emphasized the need for “the best and brightest dedicated controllers,” mentioning that if those dedicated individuals aren’t available, they would be let go.
Duffy attributed the “massive disruption” in air traffic to those who are absent, noting that more than half of the current airport delays nationwide stem from no-shows.
“I think about 90 percent of air traffic controllers are showing up, but 10 percent… well, they’re being abusive,” he commented.
Airports including Hollywood Burbank in California, Denver International, and Newark Liberty in New Jersey have faced delays due to the ongoing federal shutdown.
At one point, Hollywood Burbank Airport had no controllers on duty for nearly six hours.
In the political arena, Democrats are blaming Republicans for the shutdown, while Republican lawmakers cast blame among their own ranks.
California Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted on Monday, thanking former President Trump, noting that, “Due to the government shutdown, there will be zero air traffic controllers at Burbank Airport today from 4:15pm to 10pm.”
In an effort to motivate air traffic controllers, Duffy arranged for pizza to be delivered to New Jersey workers and urged lawmakers to find a resolution to the deadlock in Washington.
The shutdown has been prolonged after Senate Democrats declined to support a stopgap bill intended to fund the government until November 21st.
Democrats are advocating for an extension of the Affordable Care Act’s insurance premium subsidies, which are set to end this year.
Duffy commented earlier this week, saying, “Our Democratic friends shut down the government because they want Americans to pay for the medical bills of illegal immigrants,” pointing out that California has the highest number of undocumented individuals.
Democrats have pushed back against this narrative.
Rep. Adriano Espaillat from New York stated on Tuesday, “This entire shutdown is based on ridiculous lies from the Republican Party.” He added, “Speaker Johnson and Vice President Vance mean this. They say undocumented people deserve it, but it’s a flat-out lie aimed at using immigration as a weapon at this critical time.”
