USDOT’s Duffy sides with Trump, questions controllers’ ‘patriotism’ during shutdown
Previously, Trump said that controllers who did not show up to work would be replaced with "true Patriots."
Sean Duffy, the Secretary of Transportation, has sided with Donald Trump, the President of the United States, who questioned air traffic controllers (ATCs) “patriotism” during the shutdown as they have been working without being paid, having received a partial check on October 14.
In a press conference at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), one of the airports affected by the flight cuts mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Duffy said that he was concerned about those air traffic controllers who, “before they missed a paycheck,” decided “not to show up for work.”
“They had not missed a pay period, and they did not come to work. […] I am concerned about their dedication. I am concerned about their patriotism.”
While the Secretary noted that the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the FAA have not made a decision, they are “going to look at those controllers who continually made the decision not to show up for work.”
Duffy reiterated that his goal was to bring more controllers in, not take them out of the National Airspace System (NAS). During the same press conference, the Secretary pointed out that he was “2,000 controllers short.”
“But if we have controllers who systematically were not doing their job, we will take action.”
In a post on Truth Social, his own social media network, Trump not only promised to recommend a $10,000 bonus to controllers who have continued to work during the shutdown, but also threatened controllers who called out sick and did not come to work. (It is illegal for controllers to strike since they are federal employees, per the US Code’s section 1918.)
“You will be quickly 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 [sic].”
For Duffy, that is a change in tone. Previously, the Secretary had been concerned about controllers’ well-being, for example, saying that ATCs cannot “handle what is happening to them today” in a press conference at New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA) on October 28.
“Those are the very people who have now looked for side jobs. You have heard stories of controllers working at Uber or DoorDash, a controller who might go to a food bank to help make ends meet from this point to the point where they are going to get that paycheck.”
Rytis Beresnevicius
At ORD, Duffy stated that controllers, who are deemed ‘excused’ federal employees and are set to receive back pay for their work during the shutdown, would get 70% of their back pay within 24 to 48 hours. Around a week after that, they will receive the rest of their pay, he added.
At the same time, the shutdown is not over yet. While the US Senate has passed the ‘Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026’ on November 11, on the same day, Mike Jonhson, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, confirmed that the “House will be voting this week to reopen the government and deliver certainty to working families who have waited for far too long.”
Even if the government reopens, Duffy said that first, officials will wait “to see the data from our end before we take out the restrictions on travel,” which is up to 6% of the flights being canceled now, rising to 10% by November 14.
“But it depends on controllers coming back to work,” Duffy noted, adding that November 11 was a good day for air travel with only four staffing triggers, which was a stark contrast to 81 and 53 staffing triggers on November 8 and November 9, respectively.
However, Duffy warned that if the government does not reopen, cancellations would be more than 10%, and airlines would have to make decisions on whether to fly. “That is how serious this is,” he continued.
Airlines for America (A4A), a US airline industry lobby group, issued a statement on November 10, pointing out that between the shutdown’s beginning (October 1) and October 29, its members had canceled just 11 flights due to controller staffing problems.
Between October 30 and November 9, staffing triggers forced A4A members to cancel 4,162 flights, including 3,756 from November 7 to November 9.
“When the FAA flight-reduction order reaches 10% on Nov. 14, A4A estimates a daily average U.S. economic impact of $285M-580M, depending on the degree to which airlines can reaccommodate cancellation-disrupted passengers on the remaining flights.”
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