The federal government shutdown has entered its second week just in time for Columbus Day weekend, meaning that travelers can expect airport delays as the Federal Aviation Administration battles staffing shortages.
Air traffic controllers won’t receive paychecks during a government shutdown, so some staffers aren’t coming to work. Usually, 5% of delays come from staffing shortages, but the percentage has skyrocketed to 53% during the shutdown, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
Republicans say the shutdown has been caused by Senate Democrats’ unwillingness to pass a clean budgetary continuing resolution that doesn’t restore federal funding of health care for illegal immigrants.
Duffy encouraged air traffic controllers to come to work, but blamed Democrats for the rise in absenteeism.
“This is a lash-out at Democrats for again putting non-Americans ahead of American, hardworking citizens,” Duffy told Fox Business.
In 2019, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey labeled the days around Columbus Day as peak travel days.
Air traffic controllers started working without pay on Monday. Since then, the FAA has reported delays from a lack of controllers have also been reported at airports in Boston; Burbank, California; Chicago; Denver; Houston; Las Vegas; Nashville, Tennessee; Philadelphia; and Phoenix.
Still, Duffy said his department’s priority will be safety.
“The reason you see the delays … is because we will slow down traffic,” he said. “We will stop traffic if we can’t control the airspace safely. Because that’s the No. 1 mission. Flying on time is not the mission. Safety is the mission.”
Delays will pressure Democrats to vote to pass the clean continuing resolution, Duffy said.
“In one previous shutdown, the shutdown ended because of problems at the airport with traffic delays, and if these delays and cancellations rise,” he said, “that’s going to put even more pressure to get this thing settled and get the shutdown over with.”
