President Nick Daniels of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association warned Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the Democratic Party that the ongoing government shutdown is posing serious safety risks in U.S. airspace.
The NATCA, which represents more than 10,800 certified air traffic controllers nationwide, has repeatedly called on Congress to pass a clean continuing resolution (CR) to end the shutdown — now on track to become the longest in American history.
The House approved a clean CR a month ago, but Democrats have blocked it more than a dozen times, insisting on tying the measure to their partisan legislative demands.
Daniels emphasized that air traffic controllers are unfairly shouldering the weight of the shutdown, with thousands now working exhausting six-day, 10-hour shifts amid an existing shortage of 3,800 personnel.
As essential workers, controllers are required to remain on the job, yet many are facing severe financial strain. They received partial paychecks for pre-shutdown work on October 14, followed by $0 paychecks on October 28 and in the pay periods since — leaving many with more than 120 hours of unpaid labor.
The shutdown has also furloughed 2,350 support staff — including engineers and technicians — while freezing new controller hiring and training and pausing critical maintenance and modernization projects, leaving the air traffic system increasingly vulnerable.
In an interview with Fox News, Daniels said hundreds of controllers have been forced to take second jobs just to make ends meet amid the prolonged shutdown.
“These American patriots, they are the unsung heroes that Secretary Duffy speaks about so often. They are the ones that have been thrust into the spotlight, into center focus of a shutdown. And air traffic controllers, we don’t start shutdowns, we’re not responsible for ending shutdowns. Who does? Congress,” he said.
“And that’s why we’re saying, end the shutdown immediately. It’s not like we’re sitting here talking about an aviation issue. We’re talking, I understand the fears, the frustrations of the American people. We want to do an amazing job on their behalf, and we are. We’re showing up to work every day, the best way that we can to get through this crisis. But this isn’t something that we asked for. We didn’t want to put ourselves in the middle of it,” he added.
“Yet here we are, the rope in the tug of war game that we didn’t ask for at all. And we should not be used as political pawns in any way, shape or form for these shutdowns,” Daniels noted further.
Air traffic controllers have become a focal point in the government shutdown standoff, as flight delays and cancellations ripple across more than 20 U.S. airports.
Over the October 31–November 2 weekend — the worst stretch since the shutdown began — the FAA logged 98 “staffing triggers,” forcing ground stops, reduced arrival rates, and flight reroutes. Half of the nation’s 30 busiest airports reported staffing shortages, with absences in the New York area soaring to 80 percent.
NATCA and aviation experts have issued grave warnings, saying the shutdown is “eroding critical layers of safety” and rendering the National Airspace System “less safe with each passing day.”
Schumer has openly admitted that Senate Democrats are dragging out the government shutdown for political gain. In an October 9 interview with Punchbowl News, he bragged, “Every day gets better for us,” citing polling that blames Republicans for the stalemate.
He went even further, effectively insulting the intelligence of his own voters by insisting the shutdown is the GOP’s fault because Republicans “control everything.” In reality, that’s flatly untrue — Senate Republicans can’t pass a clean continuing resolution without 60 votes.
