Flights May Cease Over Patches Of US If Democrat-Backed Shutdown Keeps Going, Admin Warns

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is warning that the Trump administration may be forced to close airspace in certain parts of the country if the government shutdown drags on into next week.

The 35-day funding lapse has snarled air travel across the country with at least 2,900 flight delays on Monday due to a spike in absences from air traffic controllers, who are reporting to work without pay during the shutdown. Duffy predicted “mass chaos” for U.S. airspace if Democrats do not relent their hardball tactics and fund the government.

“So if, if you bring us to a week from today, Democrats, you will see mass chaos,” Duffy said. “You will see mass flight delays. You’ll see mass cancellations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace, because we just cannot manage it because we don’t have the air traffic controllers.”

Duffy qualified his remarks by adding that the nation’s air travel system is still safe and that his agency would “shut it down” in the event of a mass air traffic controller shortage.

Despite mounting impacts from the month-long shutdown, the vast majority of Senate Democrats voted Tuesday against a clean continuing resolution (CR) to open the government for a 14th time.

The nation’s four largest airlines called on Congress to end the shutdown using Republicans’ preferred approach of a clean CR on Thursday.