WASHINGTON, DC — Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy joked about putting Senate Democrats on a “no-fly list” when arguing that they should not be able to go home while they keep the government shut down during a Friday morning policy event with Breitbart News.
Speaking with Breitbart News Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle, Duffy recalled his experience as a former U.S. representative during the previous shutdowns of 2018 and 2019.
“We stayed here for a month. I gained 10 pounds, I think, because I ate pizza and the junkiest food,” he said. “But you sit here every weekend, every day, while the government is shut down — and your family’s upset, your kids are annoyed.”
“That people would go home during a shutdown when the American people are suffering is just flat out wrong,” the secretary argued. “Everyone should be here. Everyone should be working.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told Politico Friday morning that he will “probably” keep members at the Capitol over the weekend if Democrats again vote to block the House-passed continuing resolution (CR), as they are expected to.
Duffy continued on to refer to flight delays and back-ups at major airports due to staffing shortages caused by the shutdown, saying, “There’s people going to funerals. There’s people who are trying to get home that can’t get home. Why are senators going home? Keep them here, and especially the senators who voted no to open the government up.”
“Maybe we could put the senators who keep voting to shut the government down on the no-fly list,” Boyle remarked.
“That would be great,” Duffy laughed. “Well played, yes.”
Reductions in air travel went into effect Friday at 40 major airports around the country, with Duffy warning earlier this week that “We’ll see mass chaos” if the shutdown does not end by next week.
Olivia Rondeau is a politics reporter for Breitbart News based in Washington, DC. Find her on X/Twitter and Instagram.
