Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy told “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday that “today is the first day” that air traffic controllers “don’t get any money” as a result of the government shutdown.
“The first day is hard, but the second day is even harder than that. And the third day. Because they have gas, they have childcare costs,” he said.
“I had one controller tell me, ‘my 10-year-old daughter made the traveling volleyball team, and it cost hundreds of dollars. I had to tell her I couldn’t pay the money because I don’t have a check coming in. I have to put food on the table,’” Duffy continued. “It’s tragic. But here’s what’s even worse. Democrats aren’t voting to open up the government.”
“You are safe to fly because these controllers come in, they’re the most amazing professionals. They do their job, they keep you safe. But again, I don’t want them driving DoorDash. I don’t want them going to the food bank. I want them focused on keeping you safe,” Duffy also said.
Duffy later said at a press conference Tuesday, “I think we’re getting to the point of extremism. And it does beg the question for me again, what are the Democrats fighting for?
“Let’s fight for America. Let’s not fight for health care for illegal immigrants, illegal aliens. I think that’s a wrong approach. And listen, I spent almost ten years in Congress. There are political differences. Those political differences are very real. And the way you resolve those differences is not taking hostages. It’s actually opening up the government and having a conversation. What can we work out? What compromises can we make?” Duffy added.
The Senate may vote on a bill this week from Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, that would pay air traffic controllers, but so far, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has not teed it up. Thune said Republicans would “see what the temperature is of our senators” on that and other funding issues, but he reiterated that the easiest way to pay all federal workers would be to reopen the government.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., echoed a sentiment many Senate Democrats have shared about Cruz’s bill and others like it that would incrementally fund parts of the government; it can’t give President Donald Trump “carte blanche to do what he wants.”
When asked by Fox News Digital about criticism from Republicans over congressional Democrats’ role in air traffic controllers missing a pay day, he said, “Air traffic controllers have been really admirable in coming to work and doing their job.”
Cruz said he hoped his bill would get a shot, and when asked what his message to Republicans would be to get the bill on the floor, he said, “That the Democrats not paying air traffic controllers is reckless.”
Some 13,000 air traffic controllers are employed across the U.S. Many already work six days per week, as the industry faces a long-simmering shortage of employees.
Because air traffic controllers are deemed essential workers, they are made to work during shutdowns without pay. Instead, they are expected to get back pay when the shutdown is over.