Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy made a startling prediction Sunday that flight cancellations and delays in the United States are “only going to get worse” as the government shutdown reached its 33rd day.
Duffy sat down with CBS News’ Margaret Brennan to discuss the impact the shutdown has had on transportation, particularly air travel. While the Trump administration found funds to pay active-duty service members, it has left air traffic controllers without pay. Many controllers have now missed multiple paychecks, even as Duffy continues to urge them to report to work.
Given the recent low-speed collision between two planes at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, Brennan asked Duffy at what point he would consider the situation a safety emergency. Duffy responded that his agency would halt air traffic altogether before allowing safety issues to arise, but acknowledged that delays and disruptions are largely beyond his control.
“We’ve seen problems at LA, in Dallas, in DC, Boston, Atlanta. And so I think it’s only going to get worse,” Duffy said. “We have controllers who—some of them are new controllers, trainee controllers—who are very helpful in the tower. They don’t make a lot of money, and now they’ve gone without a paycheck for over a month. I’ve encouraged them all to come to work. I want them to come to work, but they’re making life decisions they shouldn’t have to make.”
Air traffic controllers received a partial payment in mid-October but have since missed their entire November paycheck. This has led to major shortages of air traffic controllers across the country, with 35 control sites currently facing staffing shortages, according to The New York Times.
Duffy was also asked why the Trump administration couldn’t find funds to pay air traffic controllers amid the shutdown, especially since it managed to partially fund the military. He explained there are “strict rules” governing how the administration can pay controllers and emphasized, “we have to follow the law.”
Pivoting, Duffy criticized former President Barack Obama’s handling of past shutdowns. “You remember under Barack Obama’s shutdown, he was trying to gate off open air monuments in Washington, DC, and was shutting down parks and even walking paths,” Duffy said. “President Trump has tried to make it less painful on the American people.”
https://www.rawstory.com/sean-duffy-2674257635/