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Longer delays and additional flight cancellations could be ahead for air travelers as one of the longest government shutdowns in history drags on with no end in sight, one former Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) official warned Sunday.
“[Air traffic] controllers are essential personnel. That’s why they have to come to work without pay, but it is without pay… after a paycheck or two, many Americans will find it difficult to pay ongoing bills,” said Dan Elwell, former FAA deputy administrator, on “Fox Report Weekend.”
Elwell, who served as acting FAA administrator during the 2019 government shutdown, warned that the current shutdown is approaching the point where air traffic controllers may struggle to pay their bills and face difficult choices to support their families.
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Travelers check their phones while navigating delays and flight cancellations at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on July 19, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
He spoke from experience, recounting the strain on air traffic controllers as the 2019 shutdown neared the 25-day mark.
“At about the 25-day point out of 35, the stress on the controllers is really what broke the shutdown at that time, and we ended it because the delays and the problems with air traffic control came to a head,” he said.
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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., is joined by Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Whip Tom Emmer, and Brian Steil for a press conference on the 10th day of a government shutdown on Oct. 10, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)
The current shutdown reached its 27th day on Monday, as Senate lawmakers remain deadlocked over a Republican-backed continuing resolution that, with more Democratic support, would reopen the government.
Democrats remain hopeful that Republicans will engage to address their demands for Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidy extensions.
Elwell said Sunday that the ongoing shutdown could worsen existing air traffic control shortages — a concern also raised by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
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“I don’t believe safety will be compromised, but to keep the airspace safe, the slowdown that the FAA is going to have to do when we have people calling in that they can’t come to work is going [to] be extremely painful to the traveling public,” he warned.
“It’s exactly what happened in 2019. These controllers are fantastic, but you can’t ask them to keep going on with no pay. The stress is too much.”
