Gov’t Shutdown Chaos: Air-Traffic Controller Shortages Snarl Airports As Paychecks Go Blank; Airline CEOs Urge Dems To Back GOP-Led Clean CR 

The fallout from the government shutdown worsened on Thursday afternoon and into late evening at several major airports, as staffing shortages among air traffic controllers led to delays for travelers. Air-traffic controllers missed their first paycheck this week. At the same time, the heads of major U.S. airlines blasted Democrats and sided with Republicans in urging passage of a clean continuing resolution (CR) to reopen the government and avert potential travel chaos nationwide ahead of the holiday season.

Late Thursday, staffing shortages caused major travel disruptions at several airports, including Orlando International Airport, where departures were delayed an average of 2.7 hours. 

Here’s where air travel was impacted the most on Thursday (courtesy of NBC News):

• The FAA issued a ground delay for Orlando from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. ET, delaying inbound flights by an average of 2.7 hours. Earlier, the FAA had temporarily suspended landings entirely due to a lack of certified air-traffic controllers.

• The situation later improved after an “increase in staffing” at the F11 Central Florida Tracon, though delays persisted. 

• Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport also faced 90-minute ground delays Thursday afternoon through early Friday, while Los Angeles International Airport suffered similar disruptions earlier in the week.

On Thursday, 14,000 air traffic controllers received their first zero-dollar paycheck as the government shutdown entered its 30th day. Earlier in the day, Delta Air Lines demanded that Congress reopen the government and warned that missing paychecks “only increases the stress on these essential workers, many of whom are already working mandatory overtime to keep our skies safe and secure.”

Later in the day, airline heads urged Democrats to back the Republican-led clean CR. Those airline bosses include:

• United CEO Scott Kirby, speaking from the White House alongside Vice President J.D. Vance and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, called for passage of a “clean CR”—the House GOP’s stopgap funding bill that would reopen the government without new spending measures.

• American, Delta, and Southwest joined United in supporting an immediate extension of current spending levels, warning that the situation was untenable as air-traffic controllers and TSA staff continue to work without pay.

• Southwest spokesperson Lynn Lunsford said the public “expects and deserves to travel in a system where safety and security employees are paid in a timely fashion.”

Besides airlines, the American Federation of Government Employees, representing hundreds of thousands of federal workers, also urged Democrats to back the GOP spending bill. The holdup for Democrats is that they refuse to get on board with the clean CR to reopen the government unless illegal aliens (future voter base) receive taxpayer-funded benefits…

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) recently noted that Democrats are demanding $1.5 trillion in spending, including,

• $200 billion in taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal aliens

• $358 billion in COVID-era Obamacare subsidies

• $500 million to Fake News outlets

• $5 billion for wasteful foreign projects like $3.9 million for LGBTQI+ democracy grants

.@SpeakerJohnson: Democrats are demanding $1.5 trillion in new spending, including:

$200 billion in taxpayer-funded benefits for illegals
$358 billion in COVID-era Obamacare subsidies
$500 million to Fake News outlets
$5 billion for wasteful foreign projects like… pic.twitter.com/SJxrWf37bn

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 14, 2025

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