America’s air travel system is feeling the full weight of the ongoing government shutdown, with air traffic controllers now resigning “every day,” according to Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.
“Controllers are resigning every day now because of the prolonged nature of the shutdown,” Daniels told CNN. “We hadn’t seen that before. And we’re also 400 controllers short – shorter than we were in the 2019 shutdown.”
Air traffic controllers are among the roughly 730,000 federal employees currently working without pay since the shutdown began on October 1. Many are struggling to keep up with basic expenses as the stalemate drags into its second month. Daniels said burnout is widespread, with some controllers calling in sick because they can’t afford gas or childcare.
“They’re calling their employer and saying, ‘I have no gas today. I cannot pay for my child care. Can I bring my children to work?’” he said.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy acknowledged the strain just a week into the shutdown. “I don’t want them delivering for DoorDash; I don’t want them driving Uber,” he said. “I want them coming to their facilities and controlling the airspace.”
Despite that plea, many have little choice. With no end to the political gridlock in sight, more controllers are walking away from one of the most stressful jobs in America. The losses are beginning to show across the country’s busiest airports, where staffing levels have hit their lowest point since the shutdown began.
In response, the Trump administration has ordered a 10 percent reduction in air traffic for 40 of the nation’s busiest markets, including New York, Los Angeles, and Boston. The cutbacks have caused longer delays, canceled flights, and rising frustration among travelers and airlines alike.
Even if the shutdown ended tomorrow, the damage would linger. “It will take us months to come out of all the impacts that it’s causing,” Daniels said. The shortage means new hires will take time to train, while veterans who quit may never return.
Speaking at Reagan National Airport, Duffy admitted the situation had reached a breaking point. “Let’s not lie about the pressure,” he said. “The ones who do come to work, they’re the ones that are working six days a week, 10 hours a day. You can do that for a couple weeks, but at one point, you’re going to get burned out.”
With Congress deadlocked over the spending bill – Democrats pushing for an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies and Republicans refusing to compromise – the nation’s air traffic control system is being pushed to its limit. The longer the shutdown lasts, the higher the odds of lasting damage to one of the world’s most complex and critical transportation networks.
