Air traffic controllers across the United States are facing mounting pressures as the federal government shutdown, now entering its second week, pushes them to the brink. With paychecks in jeopardy and already thin staffing stretched even further, many controllers say they are being forced to take on second jobs just to keep up with their bills—a situation that’s raising serious concerns about both safety and morale in the nation’s skies.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, speaking on Fox Business on October 9, 2025, didn’t mince words about the gravity of the situation. He acknowledged the frustration and anxiety controllers are feeling but issued a stern warning: those who call in sick instead of working without pay could face termination. “If we have some of our staff that aren’t dedicated like we need, we’ll let them go,” Duffy said, noting that more than 90% of controllers have been reporting for duty during the shutdown. “It’s a small fraction of people who don’t come to work. They can create this massive disruption. And that’s what you’re seeing rippling through our skies today.”
According to Duffy, even a small number of absences can have outsized effects. Airports from Burbank, California, to Nashville, Tennessee, have seen some of the worst delays, but major hubs like Newark, Chicago, Denver, and Dallas-Fort Worth have also been hit. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) already faced a critical shortage of air traffic controllers before the shutdown began. Now, with some airports experiencing a 50% drop in staff since October 1, the system is under unprecedented strain.
Controllers themselves say the problem goes far beyond the current standoff in Washington. “Controllers were already underwater with pay and staffing before the shutdown,” a controller from South Carolina told The New York Post. “Now we’re drowning.” The controller, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the financial anxiety as not just a morale issue but a direct threat to safety. “When someone responsible for thousands of lives a day is worrying about whether they can pay rent or feed their kids, focus suffers. Sometimes that small moment where your mind is elsewhere can have serious impacts.”
Another controller from California echoed the sentiment, telling the outlet, “More stress equals more risk.” Both controllers described colleagues clocking hundreds of hours of overtime, often while fearing they may never be paid for it. “During the 2018–2019 government shutdown, controllers had to sue for overtime pay we never received,” the California controller said. “Only now, six years later, are some of those settlement checks finally arriving.”
According to The US Sun, federal employees are bracing for a partial paycheck on October 14 and a “zero” paycheck on October 28 if the shutdown continues. That kind of uncertainty has forced many to seek side gigs, from driving for rideshare companies to picking up odd jobs—despite the exhaustion of what is already considered one of the most stressful professions. “What passengers often forget is that the person guiding their plane through the sky is human: underpaid, overworked, fatigued and carrying immense responsibility,” the California controller said. “No one should have to live this way.”
The National Association of Air Traffic Controllers (NATCA), the union representing the workforce, has urged its members to stay on the job, warning that any coordinated effort to disrupt the national airspace system is illegal. “We must be clear. NATCA does not condone a coordinated activity that disrupts the national airspace system or damages our reputation. Such actions are illegal. Risk your careers and destroy our ability to effectively advocate for you and your families,” said Mick Devine, NATCA’s executive vice president, in a video message to members.
NATCA President Nick Daniels acknowledged the difficult choices controllers are facing. “It’s going to eventually be that when people don’t have money, they have time to start making life choices and life decisions. And it shouldn’t be waiting for air traffic controllers to break because of having to take out loans, credit card debt, paying bills, gas, groceries, mortgages. Those things aren’t going to stop,” Daniels said.
Duffy, for his part, has made resolving the staffing shortage a top priority, pledging to boost hiring in hopes of eliminating the gap in the next few years. But he remains adamant that those who don’t show up for work during the shutdown could face consequences. A Transportation Department spokesperson reinforced this message on October 10, stating, “If there are rare bad actors that don’t show up purposefully and cause disruptions to our operations, consequences are inevitable.”
Controllers say the current crisis didn’t create their problems but has simply magnified long-standing issues. “Most controllers outside the largest facilities are living paycheck to paycheck,” the South Carolina controller told The New York Post. “Many have taken second jobs or side hustles that distract them at work just to cover rising costs.” The controller, a father of three, said he’s been supplementing his income with other employment for years. “The only reason the system still functions is because the people on the mike refuse to fail. But that commitment comes at a personal cost to our mental and physical health that keeps getting higher.”
Flight disruptions caused by controllers missing work may add to the pressure on Congress to resolve the budget impasse. That’s what happened in 2019, when widespread delays helped force a resolution. But so far, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have shown little sign of budging. Duffy noted during a press conference that the current crisis is forcing controllers to make impossible choices: “Now, what they think about as they’re controlling our airspace is, ‘How am I going to pay my mortgage? Do I have to take a second job and drive Uber when I’m already exhausted from doing a job that’s already stressful?’”
Beyond the control room, the exhaustion continues. “Recovering from 60-hour workweeks leaves little time for exercise, chores or family,” the California controller said. The fear of working overtime without pay, as happened during the last shutdown, looms large. During the 2019 shutdown, Air Line Pilots Association President Joe DePete and Association of Flight Attendants-CWA President Sara Nelson called it “unconscionable” to think of federal employees working without pay, according to The Washington Post.
For now, the nation’s air traffic controllers are holding the line—but at a steep personal cost. Their dedication keeps the skies safe and the system running, even as the pressures mount and the uncertainty drags on. As one controller put it, “That commitment comes at a personal cost to our mental and physical health that keeps getting higher.”
