The U.S. Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy, stated on Thursday that if the government shutdown continues through the Thanksgiving holiday, the morale of air traffic controllers is plummeting and air travel for passengers will be “extremely difficult.”
Duffy mentioned on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” program, “This morning, they received another zero pay stub. This is the second time they have gone without pay, missing two pay cycles. They all told me they have had no income for a whole month, and it’s really tough.”
He added, “Flights will be severely disrupted, and with Thanksgiving approaching, if we are still in a shutdown status, the situation will be very bad.”
Currently, due to the government shutdown causing a shortage of air traffic controllers, forty airports have to reduce 10% of flights, leaving passengers facing flight delays or cancellations.
On Monday, the U.S. Travel Association and travel industry sent a letter to both party leaders in Congress urging the immediate passage of a “clean CR” to temporarily fund government operations at current levels and restart the government before one of the busiest travel weeks of the year, Thanksgiving on November 27. The letter emphasized that last year’s Thanksgiving travel week saw over twenty million air passengers nationwide, and the current government shutdown has cost the U.S. travel industry $4 billion.
Duffy stated on CNBC on Tuesday that the U.S. air traffic control system is currently short of 2,000 to 3,000 controllers, and if the situation is deemed unsafe, the government will fully close the airspace.
President Trump stated that the Federal Aviation Administration, responsible for flight operations, is working hard to develop flight policies that are most beneficial to passengers. He emphasized, “They want to ensure safety.”
The Senate has been repeatedly voting to reopen the government. Senate Democrats stated that they would not yield unless the subsidies for the Affordable Care Act, due to expire later this year, are extended. Republicans believe that passing a temporary funding bill first should resolve the issue.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, mentioned on Thursday that there may be progress soon.
According to CBS reports, Thune said, “We need to see how Democrats respond to the proposals on the table and then see what their next steps will be. Everything hinges on finding a way to end the dispute this weekend.”
He stressed, “It’s up to them, it’s their call; if there’s a path to a vote, we will leave that option open, whether it’s today, tomorrow, or Saturday.”
(This article references reporting from The Hill.)