Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy mentioned Friday that flight reductions may go as excessive as 20 % if the federal government shutdown drags on, because the Federal Aviation Administration begins decreasing flights by 10 % resulting from air site visitors controller staffing shortages.
“If this continues, and I have more controllers who decide they can’t come to work, can’t control the airspace, but instead have to take a second job — with that, you might see 10 percent would have been a good number, because we might go to 15 percent or 20 percent,” Duffy mentioned at a Breitbart Information occasion in Washington, D.C. on Friday.
Duffy clarified to The Hill after the occasion that he was talking theoretically.
“Could it go there? That’s possible. There’s no plan for that,” Duffy mentioned. “I assess the info and what number of controllers I’ve, and I am simply saying we’re gonna make choices primarily based on what we see within the airspace to verify we maintain it protected. I hope it goes the opposite path.”
Airways started decreasing air site visitors at 40 airports throughout the nation on Friday by path of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), beginning with 4 % reductions on Friday and progressively rising by 2 % per day to 10 %.
Duffy on Friday additionally responded to issues that the flight reductions had been a political transfer aimed toward pressuring Senate Democrats to go a Republican-crafted, “clean” stopgap to reopen the federal authorities, which they’ve repeatedly rejected as they make calls for on well being care and different points.
“I’ve had some complaints from Democrats, ‘We want to see the data … This is political,’” Duffy mentioned in the course of the occasion with Breitbart. “This has not been political. We have worked overtime to make sure that we minimize the impact on the American people.”
Duffy mentioned that his company checked out decreasing flights to 10 % straight away on Friday, however the security group mentioned that may very well be much more disruptive.
Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), the highest Democrat on the Home Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, on Wednesday referred to as for the FAA to “immediately share any safety risk assessment and related data that this decision is predicated on with Congress.”
However one other Democrat on that panel, Rep. Greg Stanton of Arizona, on Thursday mentioned that Duffy’s transfer to cut back flights “is the right call for the safety of the flying public.”
“Those who snipe at me for having to take really unique action, they put that on my plate. So open it up,” Duffy mentioned.
Duffy referred to as on the Senate to remain in session and mentioned he was at Reagan Nationwide Airport earlier than the occasion the place vacationers have flight points, saying senators mustn’t fly house.
“There’s people going to funerals. There’s people who are trying to get home. They can’t get home. Why are senators going home? Keep them here, and especially the senators who voted no to open the government up,” Duffy mentioned.
Breitbart’s Matt Boyle joked that Duffy may put senators on the no-fly listing to maintain them in Washington whereas the federal government is shut down. Duffy responded: “That would be a great — well played.”
And Duffy mentioned of negotiations to reopen the federal government in Congress: “To give something up to open the government up, I think, would be a mistake on the Republicans’ part.”
Requested if it is going to take time to alleviate air site visitors points after the federal government is again open after the ten % flight reductions, Duffy mentioned: “We’ll look at the data, look at where the controllers are at, and then give the airlines time to bring those flights back in.”
