Trump Official Issues Air Travel Safety Warning as Government Shutdown Causes Major Flight Delays

TIME

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has warned that air traffic controllers are feeling increasing pressure at work amid the government shutdown for which Republicans and Democrats are both holding each other responsible.  Air traffic controllers would have typically received their next paycheck on Oct. 14, Duffy said, but they will now not be paid until the government reopens. An estimated 13,000 air traffic controllers and 61,000 TSA staff are expected to continue working without pay throughout the shutdown.

Transcript

00:00These air traffic controllers, they're critical infrastructure.

00:02They're critical to the operation of the federal government.

00:05So they're required to show up for work.

00:07And when they come to work, I want them to think about the departures and arrivals of airplanes.

00:14I want to make sure they keep Americans safe and airplanes safe.

00:18But what the consistent message was from these controllers was,

00:22they're not just now thinking about the airspace and the jobs they have to do in these towers

00:27or TRACONs or centers across the country.

00:30They're thinking about, am I going to get a paycheck?

00:31I want to make sure that Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries know that this is not consequence-free.

00:39There are issues that arise throughout America that impact our everyday lives,

00:45that can impact our safety when you shut the government down.

00:48In a job that's already stressful, this shutdown has put way more stress on our controllers

00:55at a time when they're already working on equipment from the 1960s, 1980s, 1990s.

01:01We ask them to do their jobs on equipment that has not been state-of-the-art.

01:06Is our airspace unsafe?

01:07No.

01:08Right?

01:08Again, if we think there's issues in the airspace, we will shut it down.

01:11We will close it down.

01:12We will delay.

01:13But again, it's creating a ripple effect for our controllers.

01:19For essential air service, that is going to be impacted as of Sunday.

01:23It was going to be Thursday.

01:24We found some more money to put into it.

01:26We're trying to do the best we can to keep this process with minimal impact.

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