Sean Duffy warns of air journey ‘mass chaos’ at airports – NBC Chicago

Flight delays are persevering with at main U.S. airports, together with Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport as the federal government shutdown enters its second month, with U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warning of “mass chaos” if it continues.

“So if you bring us to a week from today, Democrats, you will see mass chaos,” Duffy stated, talking at a press convention Tuesday. “You will see mass flight delays. You’ll see mass cancelations, 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, who blamed the shutdown on Democrats at a information convention, defined many controllers stated they’ll afford to overlook one paycheck – however “none” can handle lacking two.

“After 31 days without pay, air traffic controllers are under immense stress and fatigue,” the Federal Aviation Administration stated in Oct. 31 publish on X.

According to the publish, practically 13,000 air visitors controllers have been working with out pay because the shutdown started. Over the weekend, a “surge in callouts is straining staffing levels at multiple facilities, leading to widespread impacts across the national air system.”

Most controllers are persevering with to work obligatory extra time six days per week in the course of the shutdown, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association stated. Before the shutdown, the FAA was already coping with a long-standing scarcity of about 3,000 air visitors controllers.

“As we continue to reiterate, we will never compromise on safety,” the publish went on to say. “When staffing shortages occur, the FAA will reduce the flow of air traffic to maintain safety. This may result in delays or cancellations.”

Early Wednesday morning, 22 O’Hare flights have been reported delayed, in line with FlyChicago. Later Wednesday morning, the quantity had jumped to 92, the site showed.

The delays come after O’Hare introduced it set an all-time passenger file of greater than 8.26 million passengers in July, making it the airport’s busiest summer time in its 70-year historical past.

“That’s an average of more than 266,000 passengers each day,” Mayor Brandon Johnson’s workplace stated in an announcement in regards to the file.

They additionally come weeks away from the busy vacation journey season. Last yr, O’Hare and Midway welcomed greater than 3.66 million passengers over the December holidays, with roughly 7.8% extra vacationers than 2023.

Over Thanksgiving, the airports noticed a 11.4% enhance in passenger visitors in comparison with 2023, the CDA stated.

The CDA didn’t instantly reply to NBC Chicago’s request for remark.

Why is the U.S. Government shutdown?

President Donald Trump has refused to barter with Democrats over their calls for to salvage expiring health insurance subsidies till they comply with reopen the federal government. But skeptical Democrats query whether or not the Republican president will preserve his phrase, significantly after the administration restricted SNAP food aid, regardless of court orders to make sure funds can be found to forestall starvation.

Trump, whose first time period on the White House set the previous government shutdown record, is ready to fulfill early Wednesday for breakfast with GOP senators. But no talks have been scheduled with the Democrats.

Trump’s method to this shutdown stands in marked distinction to his first time period, when the federal government was partially closed for 35 days over his calls for for funds to construct the U.S.-Mexico border wall. At that point, he met publicly and negotiated with congressional leaders, however unable to safe the funds, he relented in 2019.

This time, it’s not simply Trump declining to interact in talks. The congressional leaders are at a standoff and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., despatched lawmakers dwelling in September after they accredited their very own funding invoice, refusing additional negotiations.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., stated this has been not solely the longest shutdown but additionally “the most severe shutdown on record.”

The Republican chief has urged the Democrats to simply accept his overtures to vote on the well being care concern and preserve negotiating an answer as soon as the federal government reopens, arguing that nobody wins politically from the standoff.

Republicans are reluctant to fund the well being care program, also called Obamacare, with out reforms, however negotiating a compromise with Democrats is predicted to take time, if a deal might be reached in any respect.

Thune has promised Democrats at the very least a vote on their most popular well being care proposal, on a date sure, as a part of any deal to reopen authorities. But that’s not sufficient for some senators, who see the well being care impasse as a part of their broader considerations with Trump’s path for the nation.

The White House says its place stays unchanged and that Democrats should vote to fund the federal government earlier than talks over well being care can start. White House officers are in shut contact with GOP senators who’ve been quietly talking with key Senate Democrats, in line with a senior White House official. The official was granted anonymity to debate administration technique.