Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy delivered a fiery press conference Friday, warning that Senate Democrats’ refusal to fund the government without healthcare benefits for illegal immigrants is crippling the nation’s air travel system and driving young air traffic controllers out of the profession altogether.
As the shutdown drags on, Duffy painted a stark picture of the mounting strain across America’s aviation network, from training facilities losing recruits to airports struggling with staff shortages.
He said that the Department of Transportation and FAA employees are still working full shifts to keep air travel safe and efficient despite receiving zero paychecks.
Duffy revealed that as many as 53% of all current flight delays have been linked directly to air traffic staffing shortages, which are worsening under the Schumer shutdown.
Duffy emphasized that while he and President Trump have been working to modernize U.S. airspace and expand the ranks of air traffic controllers, the shutdown is putting those efforts in jeopardy.
“Many of you have reported on the fact that we don’t have enough air traffic controllers. We’re about 2,000 to 3,000 air traffic controllers short in the system. I have developed a plan to supercharge air traffic controllers — get more of them into the system. It’s going to take a couple of years.”
The Secretary also noted that the administration has been recruiting “the best and brightest” to help stabilize a system strained by years of mismanagement and federal bloat. However, those efforts are being directly undercut by the shutdown.
Secretary Duffy:
“We’re getting word back right now from our academy in Oklahoma City. Some of our young controllers in the academy, and some who have been given spots in the next class of the academy, are bailing. They’re walking away.They’re asking themselves, “Why do I want to go into a profession where I could work hard and have the potential of not being paid for my services?” We’re seeing that real consequence right now. That affects my ability to continue this surge and get more people — more young, well-trained controllers — into our system.
And so I want to lay out what’s happening, make sure America knows what the consequences are for a foolish shutdown on behalf of illegals, because it has impacts on the traveling public’s life as they see more delays in the system. I find that to be unacceptable.”
BREAKING: It was just revealed that young air traffic controllers are BAILING on the academy because Democrats shut the government down.
Holy smokes. Chuck Schumer’s actions are now having devastating ripple effects – worse than initially thought.
SEC. DUFFY: “Some of our… pic.twitter.com/sDiQYIXE4v
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 24, 2025
Duffy revealed that airlines have been providing food for controllers who can no longer afford meals due to missed paychecks.
“When I was talking to the guys in the break room, they were eating in the break room, and they made sure I knew that the food they were eating had come from the airlines.
The airlines know how important air traffic control is to keeping the sky safe and airplanes moving. Our airlines, who know the financial pressure that our controllers are under and the gratitude for them showing up, are buying them food.
We shouldn’t rely on airlines to have to buy lunch and dinner for our controllers because they can’t afford it themselves — because the Democrats have shut down the government. But those are the things that are happening inside of all of us who work in the airspace: supporting our fellow brothers and sisters who are going through a time of need.”
As the shutdown nears its fourth week, Duffy warned of worsening air travel disruptions and a shrinking pool of qualified controllers, direct fallout from what he called a “foolish shutdown on behalf of illegals.”
“I can’t project what’s going to happen with our air traffic controllers. I have told them to show up for work, to do their jobs.
But I’ve also heard about the hardship on finding a second job when they already work, many of them, six days a week as air traffic controllers. I’ve heard about gas, I’ve heard about childcare, I’ve heard about mortgages. We all look at each other and say, who can go without pay? How does that happen and work for them?
And no doubt that puts pressure on their lives, their families. I hope that’s not the case. I don’t want to see any pressure applied to this shutdown because of air traffic controllers. But I can’t predict the future. I know they’re frustrated. I know they’re angry, and I know they want their Congress to think about them and not illegals.”
As Americans prepare to travel during one of the busiest seasons of the year, the Schumer Shutdown is threatening not just paychecks, but the very infrastructure that keeps the nation’s airspace safe.