US Cuts Air Traffic 10% Due to Shutdown Staffing Crisis

Published 5 hours ago·Updated 2 hours ago

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Above: Sean P. Duffy and Bryan Bedford at the U.S. Department of Transportation Headquarters on Nov. 5, 2025. Image copyright: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

The Spin

Democratic narrative

The Trump administration is using air safety as a political weapon, cutting flights to pressure Democrats during shutdown negotiations. Officials ramped up dire warnings despite acknowledging that controllers had weathered this shutdown better than past ones. This unprecedented move forces travelers to scramble at short notice.

The New York Times

Republican narrative

Air traffic cuts are essential safety measures, as exhausted controllers have been working without pay for over five weeks. The FAA is taking proactive, data-driven steps to alleviate pressure on air traffic controllers who must keep the skies safe as fatigue builds across the system. Safety must come first — not politics — when managing America's airspace.

Sean Duffy on X Daily Wire

Narrative C

The FAA's plan to slash flights at New York's congested airports may avert an aviation disaster, but it will not avert an apocalypse. A 10% capacity reduction across 40 markets is a sobering signal of the risks when federal operations stall. Workers arriving without pay, disrupted supply chains and grounded flights show how a shutdown immobilizes the country. Congress must end the shutdown now and stop the deliberate demoralization of the civil service.

Association of Flight Attendants-CWA