United States

USDOT’s Duffy reiterates $10,000 bonus promise to controllers

Previously, Trump, who initially promised the bonus, said he did not know where the money would come from.

Photo: Department of Transportation

Sean Duffy, the Secretary of Transportation, has reiterated that controllers who showed up for work during the government shutdown will be awarded a $10,000 bonus, promising to also reward the technicians who ensured that the equipment worked during the lapse in federal funding.

In an appearance on a Fox News show, Duffy reiterated promises made by Donald Trump, the President of the United States, and himself, saying that those air traffic controllers (ATCs) who continued working during the government shutdown between October 1 and November 12, 2025, would be rewarded with a $10,000 bonus.

“We are going to pay a reward to those who did not take any unexcused absences. They are the ones that actually came in every single day, and did the great work […] a $10,000 bonus.”

Duffy added that the “tech people that come in and make sure the equipment works, we are going to reward them.”

“Carrot and sticks? We are going to give carrots.”

However, the Secretary warned that “we would look at the” controllers who started calling out sick “right away” as the US government shutdown began, “and they did not come in to work over the course of the 43 days” of the lapse in federal funding.

This is not the first time that Duffy has threatened to ‘sanction’ controllers who called in sick during the shutdown, despite him previously defending – or at least, understanding – them for working various side jobs throughout the duration of the shutdown.

In a press conference at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) on November 12, Duffy not only stated that controllers “who did not miss a day” should get a bonus, but that he was also concerned about the “dedication” and “patriotism” of those ATCs who had not come to work even if they had not missed a paycheck during the early days of the shutdown.

“I am aligned with the President. We are going to pay them a bonus, and it will be $10,000, depending on how many we have.”

Duffy added that those controllers should “come to the White House and [Trump] should present them with their checks, they are patriots.”

If that political stunt sounds familiar, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the parent agency of the Transportation Security Agency (TSA), announced $10,000 bonuses to TSA agents “with exemplary service during the Democrats’ government shutdown.”

The DHS is paying these bonuses using carryover funds from FY2025, it said, adding that those funds are available due to the fiscal responsibility of Trump and Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security, which has enabled “DHS to save the American taxpayer over $13.2 billion since President Trump returned to office.”

Trump first floated the idea of a $10,000 bonus in a post on his social media network Truth Social on November 10. “For those Air Traffic Controllers who were GREAT PATRIOTS, and didn’t take ANY TIME OFF for the ‘Democrat Shutdown Hoax,’ I will be recommending a BONUS of $10,000 per person for distinguished service to our Country,” he stated.

The post that seemingly changed Duffy’s tone also read that those ATCs who “did nothing but complain, and took time off, even though everyone knew they would be paid, IN FULL, shortly into the future, I am NOT HAPPY WITH YOU.”

“If you want to leave service in the near future, please do not hesitate to do so, with NO payment or severance of any kind!”

Trump promised that those who leave will be replaced “by true Patriots, who will do a better job on the Brand New State of the Art Equipment, the best in the World, that we are in the process of ordering.”

When one Fox News host later asked Trump where that money would come from to pay the bonuses, he responded with, “I do not know.”

According to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), excepted employees “required to perform work during a lapse in appropriations must be paid for those work periods occurring during the lapse” at the earliest date possible after the lapse ends.

While it is not the first shutdown during which ATCs had to work without pay, two Republicans filed companion bills in the US House of Representatives and the US Senate, called the ‘Keep America Flying Act of 2026,’ which “would ensure pay and benefits” for ATCs, other FAA employees, and TSA agents during lapses in federal funding.

The bills have not made any progress through either of the legislative chambers since their introduction in late October.

Another bill, called the ‘Aviation Funding Solvency Act,’ and introduced on November 18 by members of the US House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, split evenly between two Democrats and two Republicans, would also ensure that ATCs and other FAA “professionals responsible for managing the airspace will continue to get paid.”

“The bill will allow the FAA, during a shutdown, to access the Aviation Insurance Revolving Fund to cover critical services that will keep our aviation system running safely for the traveling public, while ensuring the Revolving Fund has a healthy balance to address potential claims.”