(NewsNation) — Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called air traffic controllers “critical infrastructure” as the government shutdown continues in its sixth day.
“When they come to work, I want them to think about the departures and arrivals of airplanes and keeping Americans and airplanes safe,” Duffy said during a news conference on Monday. “A consistent message from these air controllers was they’re not just thinking about the airspace, they’re thinking about whether they’re going to get a paycheck.”
He called on Democrats to compromise and come to a decision to end the shutdown, and called out Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, saying the shutdown is “not consequence-free” for these workers.
“Up in the towers, these are great American patriots,” Duffy said. “Why would Chuck Schumer want to shut the government down and focus on people who are not American citizens and their healthcare?”
Duffy, along with National Air Traffic Controllers Association President Nick Daniels, spoke at the Newark International Airport. The airport has faced a challenging year, with outages and staffing issues leading to hundreds of flights being delayed or canceled.
Air traffic controllers and TSA employees are considered essential workers and must work through the shutdown without pay until the government reopens. The worry is that with a prolonged shutdown, workers could start calling out sick, which in turn could lead to flight interruptions and long lines at checkpoints.
During the shutdown in 2018 and 2019, which lasted 35 days, workers started calling in sick after three weeks. Some air traffic controllers sued the government in an effort to get their paychecks. Miami International Airport temporarily closed one of its terminals at that time because TSA officers were calling out sick at twice the airport’s usual rate.
Duffy said the agency has seen a slight uptick in sick calls during this shutdown already, and that there will be some delays seen at airports if the numbers increase. He added
This recent shutdown comes at a time when there is a shortage of about 3,000 air traffic controllers, and shortages at the Federal Aviation Administration and the TSA.
Until Congress votes to end the shutdown, some 13,000 air traffic controllers and more than 61,000 TSA workers will have to work without pay.