Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Thursday warned of attainable flight delays and cancellations throughout the federal government shutdown, saying the federal security system is dependent upon air visitors controllers stepping into to work even with out pay.
“I can’t guarantee you that your flight’s going to be on time. I can’t guarantee that your flight’s not gonna be canceled. It’s gonna depend on our air traffic controllers coming in to work every single day,” Duffy stated in a press convention alongside Home Republican management within the Capitol on Thursday.
Duffy thanked the air visitors controllers for working with out pay.
“We need you to come to work. But if they do not, we’ll know whose fault it is,” Duffy stated, placing the blame on Democrats.
Duffy stated that he has visited a lot of totally different air visitors towers over the 2 weeks, and that air visitors controllers — a few of whom work six days per week — are “angry” and “frustrated.” He warned that a few of them could think about taking a second job to pay the payments.
Air journey is likely one of the most intently watched points within the shutdown and one felt by massive numbers of People. In 2019, the affect on flights attributable to air journey controllers calling out of labor was key to resolving the longest-ever shutdown.
Duffy on Thursday stated staffing shortages at towers will result in flight delays and cancellations.
“Safety is paramount,” Duffy stated. “If we don’t have the staffing levels … you will see us delay traffic. You will see us cancel flights.”
Home Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Sam Graves (R-Mo.) stated that Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is “weaponizing the air traffic controllers and he’s weaponizing families as we go into the holiday season,” saying cancellations and delays “will in the end, in all probability occur.”
Air visitors controllers and different federal staff acquired a partial paycheck on Oct. 10, since that pay interval included a part of the month of September earlier than the funding lapse. Federal staff, together with air visitors controllers, are set to overlook their first full paychecks on Friday.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) stated that whereas the Trump administration was capable of “bootstrap a 1930s-era statute” to fund the Ladies, Infants, and Kids meals assist program and located unobligated funds to pay service members earlier this month, they’re “running out of creative ideas” to pay essential federal workers through the shutdown.
“There is not an existing pot of money that could cover the air traffic controllers salaries right now,” Johnson stated.
The Senate is about to vote on Thursday on a invoice to pay important authorities staff through the shutdown. Johnson stated he expects that invoice to fail attributable to opposition from Democrats.
The Transportation Secretary additionally stated he’s anxious concerning the affect that the shutdown is having on air visitors controller recruits at present learning on the academy in Oklahoma Metropolis, because the division has a scarcity of round 3,800 of its air visitors controller staffing aim.
“I’m getting word out from Oklahoma City, where I have young air traffic controller students who are now telling me, ‘What the hell am I doing? Why am I going to take this job?’ They’re thinking about leaving the academy, smart young men and women, because they don’t want to work for a system that won’t pay them,” Duffy stated.
