USDOT’s Duffy claims up to 15 to 20 ATCs retire daily amid shutdown

The good news – for air travel – is that a bill to fund the government moved forward in the Senate.

Sean Duffy, the Secretary of Transportation, has claimed that up to 15 to 20 air traffic controllers (ATCs) retire each day amid the shutdown, with the lapse in federal funding having left controllers unpaid since a partial paycheck on October 14.

In an interview with CNN, Duffy stated that not only is the National Airspace System (NAS) 1,000 to 2,000 controllers short, but also that more ATCs are retiring during the shutdown. He previously claimed that the NAS is 2,000 to 3,000 controllers short in an appearance on Fox News.

“I used to have about four controllers retiring a day before the shutdown, I am now up to 15 to 20 a day [who are] retiring,” he said, noting that it will be hard for the system to come back after the shutdown and have more ATCs controlling the airspace.

“This is going to live on in air travel well beyond the timeframe that this government opens back up.”

Asked whether it is still safe to fly in the United States, Duffy responded that officials and controllers have been working overtime to ensure that it is safe to travel. “If we have staffing triggers in locations in the American airspace, what we will do is we will slow traffic,” he added.

On November 6, after initially not detailing their plans, Duffy and Bryan Bedford, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), indicated that they would aim to reduce air traffic by 10% in the US by November 14, starting the cuts at 4% from November 7.

“To maintain the highest standards of safety in the NAS, certain air carriers will be required to reduce by their total daily scheduled domestic operations between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. local at each airport by 10 percent […].”

However, while the goal of the order was to “reduce the pressure on controllers,” now, even more controllers are not showing up to work, the Secretary of Transportation claimed on CNN. “And so the pressure goes back up again.”

At the same time, the US Senate has moved on from gridlock and, in a 60 to 40 vote, pressed forward with reopening the US government. Angus King, an Independent Senator from Maine, said that those “participating in the Democratic Caucus, are 100% committed to working on the issue of the ACA [Affordable Care Act – ed. note] premium tax credits and preserving access to healthcare for millions of Americans.”

King said that as part of the agreement that resulted in eight Democratic Caucus Senators voting to advance a bill to reopen the government, John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota and the Majority Leader of the Senate, “has committed to putting a bill on the floor before the second weekend in December, that would be drafted by the Democrats concerning health care in the ACA.”

Maria Cantwell, a Democrat Senator from Washington, said in a short statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the bill does not “address the core issue that millions of Americans will no longer be able to afford ACA insurance coverage next year.”

King voted yes on the bill to fund the federal government for the fiscal year of 2026, while Cantwell voted no.