U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned Tuesday that he may be forced to close parts of the nation’s airspace if the federal government shutdown continues for much longer.
“None of us can manage missing two paychecks,” Duffy said at a press conference. “So if you bring us to a week from today, Democrats, you will see mass chaos. You will see mass flight delays. You will see mass cancellations. And you may see us close certain parts of the airspace because we just cannot manage it because we don’t have air traffic controllers.”
Like President Donald Trump and most members of his cabinet, Duffy holds Democrats in Congress responsible for the government shutdown, now in its 36th day and officially the longest in modern U.S. history. Democrats argue that Republican lawmakers must make concessions on items like healthcare spending before a new funding bill can be passed.
In any case, the shutdown has taken a heavy toll on essential workers at the FAA and Transportation Security Administration (TSA), who are expected to continue working without pay. A growing number of FAA air traffic controllers (ATCs) and TSA officers are calling out of work sick, resulting in delays and temporary ground stops at major airports.
On Tuesday, about 4,200 flights to, from, or within the U.S. were delayed, and 150 were canceled, according to data from FlightAware. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA), Boston Logan International Airport (KBOS), Chicago O’Hare International Airport (KORD), and LaGuardia Airport (KLGA) accounted for a large share of the disruptions.
“As every day goes by, I think the problem is going to get worse, not better,” Duffy said.
The 14th attempt to fund and reopen the government failed in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, but some lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota, hinted to reporters that a compromise bill is finally in the works.
