The federal government shutdown will cause more flight delays and cancellations, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says, as it creates ongoing staff shortages at airports across the country.
During an interview with ABC News’ co-anchor Martha Raddatz on Sunday, Duffy said that it was necessary to implement further flight changes to ensure the public’s safety.
The government shutdown is poised to become the longest in history this week, as the impasse between Democrats and Republicans has dragged into a new month. Millions of people could lose food aid benefits, and health care subsidies are set to expire, with few real talks between the parties over how to end the impasse.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said in an interview aired on Sunday that he “won’t be extorted” by Democrats who are demanding negotiations to extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies that expire at the end of the year for millions of Americans. Echoing congressional Republicans, the president said on CBS’s “60 Minutes” that he will only negotiate when the government is reopened.
“We will delay, we will cancel, any kind of flight across the national airspace to make sure people are safe,” Duffy said.
“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.
“We don’t want crashes, we want people to go safely and so we will slow and stop traffic if we don’t think we can manage it in a way that keeps people safe as they go from point A to point B.”
Trump’s push on the filibuster could prove a distraction for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Republican senators who have opted instead to stay the course as the consequences of the shutdown have become more acute.
Republicans are hoping that at least some Democrats will eventually give them the votes they need, as moderates have been in weekslong talks with rank-and-file Republicans about potential compromises that could guarantee votes on health care in exchange for reopening the government. Republicans need five additional Democrats to pass their bill.
Duffy warned that airport delays and cancellations will get worse if the shutdown continues.
“If the government doesn’t open in the next week or two, we’ll look back as these were the good days, not the bad days,” he said.
On Sunday, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey due to a shortage of air traffic controllers.
Flight tracking website FlightAware recorded 5597 delays within, into, or out of the United States in addition to 640 cancellations.
Last week, Orlando International Airport, which regularly welcomes tourists heading to Disney World, was the hardest hit by the closures.
According to an advisory board seen by The New York Times, no arriving flights were able to land for an extended period on Thursday, as there were “no certified traffic controllers available.”
Delays at Orlando’s airport averaged 2 hours and 40 minutes, with some lasting up to 12 hours.
As of Monday, the tracking website has recorded 392 delays and 221 cancellations.
In a statement on X, the FAA said almost 13,000 air traffic controllers had been working without pay since the shutdown which has ensured more than 50,000 daily operations across the national airspace system.
The administration added that half of its Core 30 facilities were experiencing staff shortages, and almost 80 per cent of air traffic controllers were absent at New York-area facilities.
“After 31 days without pay, air traffic controllers are under immense stress and fatigue,” the FAA said.
“The shutdown must end so that these controllers receive the pay they’ve earned and travellers can avoid further disruptions and delays.
“As we continue to reiterate, we will never compromise on safety. When staffing shortages occur, the FAA will reduce the flow of air traffic to maintain safety. This may result in delays or cancellations.”
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