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thousands Flights have been delayed across the country Which can force Congress to break its deadlock during this period ongoing government shutdown,
The shutdown is in its second week Congress fails to pass funding bill To keep federal agencies open before midnight last Wednesday. One immediate consequence that average Americans are feeling is the shortage of staff at air traffic control towers, leading to massive shortages New York to Los Angeles flight delayed,
Nearly 10,000 flights into or out of the US were delayed on Monday and Tuesday, and more than 4,000 were delayed on Wednesday alone, according to the flight tracking site. flight Aware,
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Fox News on Wednesday, “Historically, there have been about five percent of delays due to staffing issues in our towers. In the last few days, it’s gone up to 53 percent,” as he told air traffic controllers to “get to work.” You have one thing to do.
Like other essential federal workers, air traffic controllers have had to work without pay during the shutdown, but Duffy has seen a slight increase in sick calls.
“So, we’re tracking sick calls, sick leaves, and have we seen a little bit of an increase in sick calls? Yes, and then you’ll see delays in that,” he told reporters Monday.
The rift between Democrats and Republicans over the shutdown continues, with some politicians using the flight delays to shift blame to their colleagues.
California Governor Gavin Newsom Mistake trump They called it the President’s government shutdown, which caused flight delays los angelesThere were no air traffic controllers at Hollywood Burbank Airport for nearly six hours on Monday, the airline announced.
duffy protested The government is shut down because his Democratic Party “can’t get its priorities right.”
senator elizabeth warrenA Massachusetts democrat, Said“The Republican government shutdown is making flying even more miserable.”
Republican Senator Ted Budd North Carolina Referring to the Senate Democratic leader, he noted “the financial pressures of the Schumer shutdown” on air traffic controllers. chuck schumer,
But flight delays may actually be the secret to getting lawmakers to the negotiating table.
The previous government shutdown — which lasted 35 days during the latter part of Trump’s first term — saw air traffic controllers overwhelmed, causing massive flight delays, helping to pressure politicians to reopen the government.
Former Rep. Peter DeFazio, an Oregon Democrat who chaired the House Transportation Committee during the 2018-2019 shutdown, pointed out politico Congress may have to change its stand due to flight delay.
“It happened last time, but it took a long time,” he said, adding that the government had reopened it only after “huge delays” last time.
But Senator Tammy Duckworth, a Illinois The Democrat told POLITICO he doesn’t think the flight delay will force Congress to break its impasse this time, saying it’s “about health care.”
Democrats are seeking to reverse Medicaid cuts set in Trump’s massive spending bill, which he signed in July, and support a funding bill expanding Affordable Care Act subsidies.
Republicans have made baseless claims that Democrats want to give free health care to undocumented immigrants, despite the group not being eligible for federal health care programs except in emergencies.