The US will reduce traffic at 40 largest airports. “In a week, Democrats, you will see mass chaos.”

The head of the Ministry of Transportation, Sean Duffy, announced on Wednesday that he will reduce air traffic at the 40 largest airports in the United States from Friday if the budget paralysis is not ended by then. The 36-day shutdown is the longest in U.S. history

Duffy announced his decision during a Wednesday press conference with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) chief Bryan Bedford. As Bedford explained, this is the result of the staffing situation at airports in the face of thousands of federal employees – including air traffic controllers – working for a second month without pay due to the shutdown.

“We see the pressure mounting in a way that we don't feel – if we allowed it to continue to build – that we could continue to tell the public that we have the safest aviation system in the world,” Bedford said.

The reduction is to concern 3.5-4 thousand flights every day. This is yet another warning from the Ministry of Transport about difficulties in air traffic related to the paralysis of the work of the federal administration resulting from the failure to adopt a new budget.

Wednesday is the 36th day of the shutdown, making the current impasse the longest in the country's history, breaking the record set in 2018. Negotiations over a budget compromise have accelerated in recent days, but the unexpectedly strong results of Democratic candidates in Tuesday's elections in Virginia, New Jersey and New York may stiffen their negotiating stance. The opposition is blocking the adoption of the new budget because it demands the restoration of health insurance subsidies under the “Obamacare” system.

On Tuesday, Duffy warned that 2-3 thousand are missing at airports. air traffic controllers.

– In a week, Democrats, you will see mass chaos. You will see massive flight delays. You will see massive flight cancellations and we may even close certain parts of the airspace because we simply won't be able to manage it because we don't have air traffic controllers,” Duffy said.

As a result of the shutdown 13,000 air traffic controllers and airport security officers work without paywhich has already led to significant delays at airports. If the impasse continues through Friday, these workers will no longer receive their second payment due.

From Washington Oskar Górzyński (PAP)

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