Staff Reports
The Biden-era shutdown — driven and defended by House Democrats who refuse a clean funding bill — has forced the FAA to take the unprecedented step of ordering reductions in flights at 40 of the nation’s busiest airports to protect safety as unpaid controllers falter. The agency laid out a phased plan that will start with modest cuts and ramp up if the situation worsens, because Washington’s dysfunction has real consequences for everyday Americans trying to travel safely.
Airlines began canceling flights immediately, with hundreds to more than a thousand cancellations reported as carriers scrambled to comply with capacity cuts while rebooking passengers and trying to preserve critical routes. The move is already producing long lines, delays and logistical chaos for travelers and cargo alike — the predictable result when Democrats play politics with paychecks and public safety.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy did not mince words when explaining why he ordered reductions: he said the only quick fix is for Democrats to “open the damn government,” putting the onus where it belongs — on the obstructionist party that refuses to put Americans first. That blunt message is the kind of clear leadership Americans expect and deserve when policy choices directly affect lives and livelihoods.
This was not a decision made for theater but because air traffic controllers, many working without pay, are calling out, resigning or taking second jobs — conditions that erode the margin of safety the system depends on. The FAA and industry leaders warned that when the workforce is under financial strain, the risk to timely operations and even safety increases, forcing the administration to step in and manage capacity.
Rather than cower to opportunistic criticism, the administration acted to prioritize Americans’ safety over partisan optics, and Secretary Duffy deserves credit for forcing the national conversation away from talking points and back to the practical reality at hand. Conservatives who care about secure borders and secure skies should also demand accountability from the lawmakers who created this mess instead of pretending it’s business as usual.
Airlines are making difficult operational choices — cutting less-profitable regional flights first while preserving long-hauls — which means smaller communities and routine travelers will feel the pain while Wall Street and corporate executives posture from afar. Corporate incentives don’t excuse the situation; the root cause remains a reckless shutdown that punished federal workers and strained the backbone of our transportation system.
If you’re a working American waiting in a swollen security line, missing an important meeting, or watching cargo and holiday shipping get disrupted, know this: the fix is simple and visible. Open the government, return paychecks to public servants, and let the airlines and controllers do their jobs without Washington’s game-playing dragging the country down any further.
