The Division of Transportation is likely to be compelled to close down the airspace in sure elements of the nation if the government shutdown continues into subsequent week, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy mentioned on Tuesday.
“So if, in the event you deliver us to per week from right now, Democrats, you will note mass chaos,” he mentioned. “You will notice mass flight delays. You may see mass cancelations, and you may even see us shut sure elements of the airspace, as a result of we simply can’t handle it as a result of we do not have the air site visitors controllers.”
Almost 50% of all main air site visitors management services face staffing shortages, in line with the Federal Aviation Administration. Air site visitors controllers are required to work with out pay in the course of the shutdown.
About 13,000 air site visitors controllers are at present working with out pay, in line with the FAA. On Friday, the company mentioned that 80% of New York space employees had known as out.
“These hard-working Individuals have payments to pay, and they’re being compelled to make choices and decisions,” Duffy mentioned Monday of air site visitors controllers at an unrelated occasion in Philadelphia. “Do they go to work as an air site visitors controller, or have they got to discover a totally different job to get sources, cash, to place meals on their desk, to place gasoline of their automotive? And as each day goes by, I believe the issue is just going to worsen, not higher.”
Folks wait in a safety checkpoint line at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, on Nov. 4, 2025. With the federal authorities shutdown getting into its second month, strains at airports are anticipated to develop amid elevated absenteeism amongst safety and security employees at among the nation’s busiest hubs.
Mark Felix/AFP through Getty Pictures
Duffy mentioned final month that air site visitors controllers could possibly be let go in the event that they did not present up for work.
“Whenever you come to work, you receives a commission,” Duffy mentioned Oct. 9 in remarks on Fox Enterprise’ “Varney & Co.” “In the event you do not come to work, you do not get paid. … If we’ve got some on our employees that are not devoted, we’ll allow them to go.”
However the transportation secretary softened that stance over the weekend, telling CBS’ “Face the Nation” that he wouldn’t fireplace any air site visitors controllers for not displaying as much as work.
“They want help, they want cash, they want a paycheck. They do not have to be fired,” he mentioned.
Duffy made related feedback about closing airspace throughout an interview with ABC News’ “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz on Sunday.
“We’ll delay, we’ll cancel, any sort of flight throughout the nationwide airspace to ensure individuals are secure” amid the shortages, Duffy mentioned, whereas on the similar time a floor cease was in impact at Newark Liberty Worldwide Airport on account of staffing points.
“There’s a degree of threat that will get injected into the system when we’ve got a controller that is doing two jobs as a substitute of 1,” he added.
