President Donald Trump has demanded that all air traffic controllers return to work as the nation's aviation system endured another wave of mass flight cancellations, caused by staffing shortages due to the prolonged government shutdown.
‘Report To Work’ Or Have Your Pay ‘Docked’
In a Truth Social post on Monday, Trump urged all air traffic workers to “get back to work,” warning that anyone who refuses to do so will have their pay “substantially docked.”
This comes as nearly 1.2 million fliers faced disruptions over the weekend, due to flight cancellations, as the federal government shutdown is set to enter its 41st day, intensifying staff shortages at the air traffic control, which was already understaffed, according to a Reuters report.
See Also: Markets Cheer As Shutdown End Nears: These 15 Stocks Are Rallying
The FAA said on Monday it had staffing issues at nearly two dozen facilities across the country, forcing ground delays or ground stops at airports including Houston, New York, Newark, Chicago, Phoenix, and Las Vegas.
FlightAware, a service that tracks flight status in real-time, has reported that more than 2,250 flights were cancelled and 8,100 were delayed on Monday alone.
$10,000 Bonus For ATCs Who Didn’t Take Time Off
Trump also said that he will be recommending a $10,000 bonus “for distinguished service to our Country,” for those ATCs who didn’t take any time-offs during the government shutdown that has lasted over a month.
He also added that he wasn’t happy with those who “did nothing but complain,” despite knowing that they would be paid in full when the shutdown came to an end.
“You didn't step up to help the U.S.A. against the FAKE DEMOCRAT ATTACK that was only meant to hurt our Country,” he said, adding that such controllers will have a negative mark against their records, “at least in my mind.”
Trump’s comments sparked a decline in aviation stocks such as American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ:AAL), Delta Airlines Inc. (NYSE: DAL) and United Airlines Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL), which had been unfazed by the shutdown up until recently.
| Stock / ETF | After Trump’s Post | Year-To-Date Performance | Since Government Shutdown |
| American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ:AAL) | -2.49% | -21.71% | +18.10% |
| Delta Airlines Inc. (NYSE:DAL) | -0.54% | -0.86% | +4.36% |
| Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) | +0.65% | -2.13% | +1.17% |
| United Airlines Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) | -1.32% | +0.74% | +3.20% |
This comes with the peak U.S. travel season right around the corner, kick-started by Thanksgiving, just a few short days away, and lasting until New Year’s in January. During this period, an estimated 119 million Americans are expected to travel, according to the American Automobile Association.
Trump Has ‘No Business’ Attacking Air Traffic Controllers
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg slammed Trump’s comments in a post on X, saying that he wouldn’t last “five minutes as an air traffic controller,” while adding that the administration has “no business” attacking them, given how they’ve been treated since the beginning of this shutdown.
Image via Shutterstock/ Brian Jason
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