A critical shortage of air traffic controllers, forced to work without pay, is causing severe flight disruptions at airports across the country as the government shutdown enters its 20th day. Nearly 9,000 flights have been delayed since Sunday, FlightAware reports, with airports in Newark, Chicago, Atlanta and Dallas suffering the worst delays due to spiraling staff shortages. Around 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 TSA agents have been denied paychecks and forced to work six-day weeks throughout the shutdown, resulting in large numbers of sick days making an already short-staffed profession even worse. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said 53 percent of airport delays since the shutdown have been due to staff shortages, compared to around 5 percent during normal service. Throughout the shutdown, the Trump administration has aired videos at airports across the country blaming the Democrats refusal to reopen the federal government for the delays. A number of airports have refused to pay them after stating they “do not engage in partisan politics.”
Read it at The Hill
