Air traffic controllers receive $0 paychecks as government shutdown stretches | US federal government shutdown 2025

Air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration workers missed their first paychecks as the federal government shutdown entered its fourth week. They need to keep working.

Approximately 11,000 air traffic controllersThose considered essential workers received $0 wages on Tuesday, the equivalent of two weeks of unpaid work. Transport Minister Sean Duffy warned at a press conference on Tuesday that yet another missed paycheck could be financially disastrous for employees.

“A lot of our controllers can make it without getting that first paycheck; they’ve been in the business for 10, 15, 20 years; they’ve planned out days like this,” Duffy said at LaGuardia airport in New York City.

“This is day one,” Duffy added, referring to the missed payments. “The second day gets harder, [and] Day three gets harder as expenses continue to rise [in].”

Duffy noted that air travel remains safe, but flight delays and other travel issues may continue as the shutdown continues. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), flight disruptions due to staffing issues are becoming increasingly common.

Staffing problems were reported in Chicago, Dallas, Nashville and other major cities. At the time of publication, more than 3,000 flights had been delayed within the United States, into and out of the United States. based on to FlightAware. The number of canceled US flights was 132.

Union leaders also cited the financial woes of essential workers. “Air traffic controllers must be 100% focused 100% of the time,” said Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, at the same press conference. “And I’m watching air traffic controllers on their way to work… They’re worried about paying for their daughter’s medication. I got a text from a controller saying, ‘I’m running out of money. And if she doesn’t get the medication she needs, she’ll die.'”

Some airlines have begun donating meals to unpaid federal employees to ease financial difficulties. United told CBS News It said it was feeding workers at its hubs including Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Delta and JetBlue also announced that they will offer food to workers.

Air traffic controllers have taken on side gigs like Uber Eats and DoorDash to make ends meet until the government reopens.

“They should never work a side job, they should never take off the night shift and wait tables,” Daniels said at the press conference.