**Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy Warns Airport Delays “Going to Get Worse” Amid Government Shutdown**
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Sunday that airport delays are “going to get worse” as the government shutdown threatens to stretch into a fifth week and air traffic controllers went unpaid this week.
“I think the real consequence is, what kind of rolling delays do you have throughout the system, right?” Duffy said on *Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan*. “We’ve seen problems at L.A., in Dallas, in D.C., Boston, Atlanta. And so I think it’s only going to get worse.”
Duffy added that the federal government will “stop traffic” if it becomes a safety issue, emphasizing, “We’re not going to let that happen.”
### Ground Delays Reported at Major U.S. Airports
Duffy’s comments come as ground delays were reported at several major airports on Sunday, including a four-hour ground delay at Newark Liberty Airport, one of the nation’s busiest transit hubs. Staffing shortages were also reported at airports in Nashville, Tennessee; Jacksonville, Florida; Austin, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Northern California; and Newark, New Jersey.
The airport chaos is especially concerning as it comes just weeks ahead of some of the busiest travel days of the year around Thanksgiving.
### Impact on Air Traffic Controllers
With the government shutdown stretching beyond 30 days, air traffic controllers have gone without several paychecks, although they will receive back pay once the shutdown ends.
Secretary Duffy emphasized the difficult position controllers face, saying they are “confronted with a decision: do I put food on my kids’ table, do I put gas in the car, do I pay my rent or do I go to work and not get paid?”
However, Duffy ruled out any possibility of the Trump administration finding a way to pay air traffic controllers during the shutdown, unlike active-duty military personnel who have been paid so far. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently warned that active-duty military might not be paid after November 15.
### Limited Funding and Legal Constraints
“We’re looking for pots of money to pay essential workers, but there’s really strict rules around what money we can use and how we can use it, and we have to follow the law,” Duffy explained.
He noted that the government has been able to fund a central air service to rural communities and keep the FAA academy operating so far, but those funds will only last a few more weeks.
“The simple answer is, vote to open the government, negotiate your differences,” Duffy stated.
### No Plans to Fire Air Traffic Controllers
Earlier this month, Duffy suggested that air traffic controllers who did not show up to work could be “let go.” However, on Sunday, he clarified that he does not plan to fire controllers.
“When they’re making decisions to feed their families, I’m not going to fire air traffic controllers,” he said. “They need support, they need money, they need a paycheck. They don’t need to be fired.”
### Political Standoff Continues
The Trump administration has continued to blame Democrats for the shutdown. Meanwhile, Democratic Senator Mark Warner suggested on *Face the Nation* that ending the shutdown will require “the active intervention of the president.”
“The notion of at least sitting down to talk about health care, making sure that $6 billion that is set aside for SNAP benefits gets paid out so people don’t go hungry and we get the government reopened again,” Warner said.
Warner also pointed out that the president has historically said it is the responsibility of the president to end shutdowns but accused him of ignoring the current crisis. “He’s stopped his many international trips; come sit down and let’s get this resolved,” Warner urged.
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As the shutdown drags on, travelers and workers alike brace for continued disruptions with little resolution in sight.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sean-duffy-transportation-secretary-delays-shutdown-air-traffic-controllers/
