Duffy warns of travel disruptions as air traffic controllers face missed paychecks
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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy looks on as House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 23. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
Air traffic controllers will miss their first paychecks next week due to the ongoing government shutdown, and that will likely have consequences for travelers, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Thursday.
Why it matters: Travelers have already seen disruptions at airports plagued by staffing shortages, and Duffy warned the situation could worsen. Air travel was paralyzed during the 2019 shutdown.
Driving the news: "I can't guarantee you that your flight is going to be on time," Duffy said at a Thursday briefing beside House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and GOP lawmakers. "I can't guarantee you that your flight's not going to be canceled."
- He added, "It's going to depend on our air traffic controllers coming in to work every single day."
- Oct. 28 will be the first day controllers will not receive pay for the work they did this month, Duffy said. Their last paychecks, which mostly covered work done in September, were already reduced.
- Duffy said those financial woes also risked deterring new recruits as the Federal Aviation Administration has worked to boost staffing.
Flashback: During the last government shutdown, federal workers at the nation's airports increasingly missed work under the financial strain of missed paychecks.
- In response, the FAA had to limit flights at major airports.
Threat level: "Eventually, people are going to have to make human decisions," a current air traffic controller who wished to remain anonymous for fear of employer retribution told Axios.
- The controller guessed most will "hang on" for their first missed paycheck.
- "The second one will likely be where people can't last any longer without money coming in," they said.
Between the lines: Air traffic controller shortages and subsequent disruptions could ramp up the pressure on lawmakers to end the shutdown.
- Controller shortages, overwork and fatigue were already pressing issues before the funding lapse, and this piles onto existing safety concerns.
What they're saying: "Safety is paramount for us, and so if we don't have the staffing levels in a tower, TRACON or center, you will see us delay traffic," Duffy said, referring to various types of air traffic control facilities. "You will see us cancel flights."
- He joined his fellow Republicans in blaming Democratic lawmakers for the shutdown at Thursday's press conference. The lapse has seen a fiery messaging war play out as each side of the aisle frames the shutdown as the other's doing.
What we're watching: Johnson told reporters that while the White House has diverted funds to pay troops and fund a food aid program (methods Democrats have said are illegal), "there is not an existing pot of money that could cover the air traffic controllers' salaries."
Go deeper: Federal workers erupt over latest White House threat to withhold their pay
