Monday evening flights into multiple major cities were delayed as the government shutdown continued, just hours after the Department of Transportation (DOT) warned that the funding halt has led to stressed-out air traffic controllers calling out sick as they wait to get paid again.
“This shutdown has put way more stress on our controllers,” Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy said during a press conference at New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport.
“When they come to work, I want them to think about the departures and arrivals of airplanes. I want to make sure they keep Americans safe and airplanes safe,” he continued, explaining that he has heard air traffic controllers say they are concerned with affording basic necessities and are even considering picking up side-gigs like driving for Uber. “But the consistent message from these controllers was they’re not just thinking about the airspace and the jobs they have to do.”
Duffy noted that the DOT has seen an uptick in sick days being taken by air traffic controllers, a pattern that was also observed during the 2019 government shutdown, as they are not being paid to go to work.
“If we think there’s issues in the airspace, we will shut it down, we will close it down, we will delay,” he stated.
While the air traffic controllers will receive their pay retroactively when the government reopens, the timing of that is up to Congress — where Senate Democrats blocked the Republicans’ clean continuing resolution (CR) last week when they did not get to add everything they wanted to it.
After Duffy’s press conference, flights going to the New York, Denver, and Los Angeles areas were delayed due to the air traffic controller shortage, the New York Times reported.
The delays began in Newark, at the same airport where the Transportation secretary had just spoken to the press. Incoming flights were delayed there by nearly an hour on average, and about 40 minutes at Denver International Airport, the outlet noted.
The situation at Hollywood Burbank Airport outside of Los Angeles was even worse, with no controllers working Monday night, leading to incoming flight delays averaging about two and a half hours as staff at Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control in San Diego spread themselves thin to cover the gap.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom blamed President Donald Trump for the shutdown and lack of controllers in Burbank:
“Thanks, @realDonaldTrump! Burbank Airport has ZERO air traffic controllers from 4:15pm to 10pm today because of YOUR government shutdown,” the far-left governor wrote.
Duffy posted a meme to X on Tuesday, pointing fun at Democrats who prioritized healthcare for illegal migrants over air traffic controllers in their shutdown:
Olivia Rondeau is a politics reporter for Breitbart News based in Washington, DC. Find her on X/Twitter and Instagram.
