Transportation Secretary Remarks on Airspace Improvement
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy expressed optimism on Friday, stating that Thursday marked a significant improvement for U.S. airspace. He noted that “Yesterday was one of the best days in our airspace in a while, with only a few air traffic controllers reporting from work.” Duffy emphasized ongoing efforts to analyze data and restore normal air traffic conditions, crediting the reopening of the government to six House Democrats.
This update followed President Trump’s signing of a bill on Wednesday, which officially ended the 43-day government shutdown initiated by Congressional Democrats. Trump remarked, “For the past 43 days, Congressional Democrats have shut down the United States government in order to extort hundreds of billions of dollars from American taxpayers on behalf of illegal aliens and those who entered our country illegally.” He further asserted that a clear message was sent: “we will never give in to extortion.”
In a prior interview with Breitbart News regarding the shutdown, Duffy and moderator Matthew Boyle discussed the shutdown’s repercussions, which included a 4% reduction in flights nationally, a figure expected to rise to 10% the following week. Duffy shared concerns about his team, saying, “The second paycheck was a flat zero. I just received notice that the second full paycheck is going to be a flat zero, and that’s next week.” He highlighted the strain this puts on managers and new employees who may not have financial reserves to rely on.
Duffy also pointed out the resulting pressure on the air traffic control system, leading to increased delays and cancellations throughout the month. He noted fluctuations in the disruptions: “It’s not in the same location every day. One day it might be Los Angeles, the next it might be New York…” This inconsistency creates challenges, requiring a close examination of the data.
On a related note, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett disclosed that the shutdown had cost the country approximately $15 billion weekly.
