Delta calls on Congress to immediately end government shutdown

Delta Airlines He called on Congress on Thursday to “immediately pass a clean continuation resolution” to reopen the U.S. government and pay air traffic controllers.

US air traffic controllers missed their first full paycheck on Tuesday as the government shutdown continues into its fourth week with no end in sight, while Republican and Democratic senators remain deadlocked.

“Missed paychecks increase the stress on these essential employees, many of whom already work mandatory overtime to keep our skies safe and secure,” Delta said in a statement Thursday. he said.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian warned earlier this month that the airline could see the effects of a prolonged shutdown.

Vice President J.D. Vance and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy hosted a roundtable at the White House on Thursday afternoon with the Airlines for America lobbying group, whose members include Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines and others.

Air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration officers are essential employees who must work during the shutdown even if they do not receive regular wages.

The missed paychecks come as controllers grapple with long-standing staffing shortages. There are 3,800 fewer fully certified controllers than the FAA’s goal, according to Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.

“These additional distractions will increase existing risks to an already strained system,” Daniels said in an opinion piece. inside Top on Tuesday.

“With each day that the shutdown continues, the National Airspace System becomes less safe than the day before as controllers’ focus shifts from critical safety missions to their financial uncertainty,” he said.

The shutdown began Oct. 1 after Senate Republicans and Democrats failed to reach an agreement on keeping the government open.

Democratic senators are insisting that Republicans agree to an extension of Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies before voting on funding to reopen the government.

A four-week shutdown would cost the economy at least $7 billion by the end of 2026, the Congressional Budget Office estimated Wednesday. According to CBO estimates, a six-week shutdown would cost the economy $11 billion, while an eight-week shutdown would cost $14 billion.

Flights have been delayed at many U.S. airports over the past month, but have yet to experience the serious disruptions that preceded the end of the longest closure between late 2018 and early 2019.

— CNBC’s Leslie Josephs contributed to this report.