Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned Tuesday that parts of U.S. airspace could be forced to close if the ongoing government shutdown extends into next week, marking a potential escalation in the disruption already spreading across the nation’s aviation system.
Duffy had told ABC News’ “This Week” that the safety of passengers will dictate how the department responds to worsening staffing levels. “We will delay, we will cancel, any kind of flight across the national airspace to make sure people are safe,” adding that “there is a level of risk that gets injected into the system when we have a controller that’s doing two jobs instead of one.”
Duffy said during an event in Philadelphia: “So if, if you bring us to a week from today, Democrats, you will see mass chaos. You will see mass flight delays. You’ll see mass cancelations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace, because we just cannot manage it because we don’t have the air traffic controllers. We will restrict the airspace when we feel it’s not safe … These hard-working Americans have bills to pay, and they are being forced to make decisions and choices. Do they go to work as an air traffic controller, or do they have to find a different job to get resources, money, to put food on their table, to put gas in their car? And as every day goes by, I think the problem is only going to get worse, not better.”
On Tuesday, he echoed those remarks at a press conference in Philadelphia. “You will see mass flight delays, you’ll see mass cancellations,” Duffy said. “And you may see us close certain parts of the airspace because we just cannot manage it, because we don’t have the air traffic controllers.” He added,
The Department of Transportation has been grappling with severe staffing shortages as the shutdown drags into record-breaking territory. Nearly half of all major air traffic control facilities are short-staffed, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). About 13,000 air traffic controllers are currently working without pay, and officials say absentee rates are climbing — with the FAA reporting last week that 80% of New York-area staff had called out.
Since the shutdown began Oct. 1, Duffy has maintained that commercial air travel remains safe, though passengers are experiencing more delays as officials slow air traffic to match reduced staffing levels. The transportation secretary’s tone has shifted notably since then, when he warned that air traffic controllers could be terminated for failing to show up for work. “When you come to work, you get paid. If you don’t come to work, you don’t get paid. … If we have some on our staff that aren’t dedicated, we’re going to let them go,” he said at the time. However, Duffy has since reversed that position, telling CBS’ “Face the Nation” that he would not fire controllers for missing work amid the crisis. “They need support, they need money, they need a paycheck. They don’t need to be fired,” he said.
As the shutdown continues, the stress on the aviation workforce has intensified. Duffy has discouraged controllers from taking on side jobs such as food delivery, warning that their positions require complete focus. Still, many are struggling to make ends meet. National Air Traffic Controllers Association President Nick Daniels said at a press conference last week that the strain is taking a toll: “Air traffic controllers have to have 100% of focus 100% of the time. And I’m watching air traffic controllers going to work. I’m getting the stories. They’re worried about paying for medicine for their daughter. I got a message from a controller that said, ‘I’m running out of money. And if she doesn’t get the medicine she needs, she dies. That’s the end’.”
The U.S. Travel Association has urged Congress to end the funding impasse, warning that continued disruption could upend the busy Thanksgiving travel period. In a letter to congressional leaders, the group wrote, “A shutdown places extraordinary strain on federal personnel who are essential to keeping America moving — from Transportation Security Administration officers to air traffic controllers, who are forced to work without pay. When staffing shortages worsen, airport wait times grow longer and flight delays and cancellations become more frequent, threatening to derail family travel plans across the country.”
Meanwhile, the shutdown has now officially become the longest in U.S. history. The Senate on Tuesday failed for the 14th time to advance a House-passed continuing resolution that would reopen the government, voting 54 to 44 — short of the 60 votes required. The previous record, set during the 2018–2019 shutdown, lasted 35 days. Unless a last-minute breakthrough occurs, this shutdown will surpass that milestone by Tuesday evening, with air travel chaos and essential services increasingly caught in the crossfire.
Editorial credit: Joshua Sukoff / Shutterstock.com
