Airports across the nation continue to grapple with delays and reduced operations as the federal government shutdown stretches into its second month. Since October 1, when Congress failed to pass a budget amid disputes over Medicaid funding and expired Affordable Care Act subsidies, essential workers like air traffic controllers have gone without paychecks.
This has triggered widespread absences, forcing the Federal Aviation Administration to slash flights at major hubs and issue ground stops at places like Orlando and Los Angeles. Airlines report millions in losses, with over 3.2 million passengers affected so far.
A former air traffic controller, Michael Pearson, points to deeper systemic failures that predate the current impasse.
“The mess that Secretary Duffy was left with, unfortunately, he’s in a situation where he is relying on people in the FAA – the very same people who created the messes over the last 30 years, actually, a failed NextGen program, billions of dollars spent, and have wasted and pilfered money,” Pearson said during an appearance on Fox Business’s “The Bottom Line.”
Pearson’s critique traces the shortage—now exceeding 3,000 controllers—back to policy shifts under the Obama administration between 2011 and 2014. Those changes altered hiring to emphasize diversity initiatives, sidelining graduates from established training programs like the Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative. A class-action lawsuit, Brigida v. Department of Transportation, alleges these practices discriminated against qualified applicants, contributing to training bottlenecks and high washout rates that have plagued the agency ever since.
The Biden years only compounded the issue, with ongoing recruitment efforts that included targeted disabilities in job postings, even as vacancies mounted. Government Accountability Office audits have documented fatigue among overworked controllers, who often pull mandatory overtime and six-day weeks, raising risks of errors. The National Transportation Safety Board has linked such strain to recent near-misses, including a fatal midair collision over the Potomac in January that killed 67 people.
Under President Trump, steps have been taken to refocus on merit. An executive order issued shortly after his January 20 inauguration directed the FAA to scrap diversity-based hiring in favor of competence and achievement. Yet entrenched bureaucrats within the agency may slow real change, as Pearson warns: insiders beholden to old ways could resist reforms needed to modernize equipment and boost staffing.
With the shutdown showing no quick end—Democrats in Congress demanding reversals to health care cuts while Republicans hold firm—the strain on controllers grows. Reports from outlets like CNN and The New York Times detail surges in sick calls, with 98 staffing triggers over a single weekend in early November. Facilities in cities like Austin, Newark, and Denver have operated short-handed, rerouting flights to maintain safety margins.
Restoring full operations will require more than ending the shutdown. As Pearson suggests, bringing in external experts untainted by decades of FAA inertia could finally address the waste and inefficiency that have left America’s skies vulnerable. Until then, travelers face ongoing disruptions, a stark reminder of how policy missteps echo for years.
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