Transportation Secretary Threatens To Fire Air Traffic Controller 'Problem Children'

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Huff Post/Reuters

Oct 9, 2025, 01:42 PM EDT | Updated 2 hours ago


WASHINGTON, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned on Thursday that the government could dismiss air traffic controllers who repeatedly fail to show up for work during the government shutdown, saying a spike in absences is causing significant air disruptions.

“If we have a continual small subset of controllers that don’t show up to work, and they’re the problem children ... if we have some on our staff that aren’t dedicated like we need, we’re going to let them go,” Duffy said on Fox Business. “I can’t have people not showing up for work.”

Duffy praised the 90% to 95% of controllers who are showing up daily despite not getting paid. “It’s a small fraction of people who don’t come to work that can create this massive disruption, and that’s what you’re seeing rippling through our skies today,” Duffy added. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association did not immediately comment on Duffy’s remarks but has repeatedly urged controllers to keep working during the nine-day-old government shutdown.

The union told workers that “participating in a job action could result in removal from federal service” and is illegal. The U.S. has faced an air traffic controller staffing shortage for more than a decade and many have been working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks even before the shutdown. The FAA is about 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels.

Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/air-traffic-controllers-sean-duffy-shutdown_n_68e7ed1ee4b0972b7758e6bd

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That really makes sense!!!!111!!!!!

(like a 3 year old having a temper tantrum )

[milestogo]

1. I know its not the Onion, but it feels like it.

[travelingthrulife]

2. It's all these losers know how to do. Fire people.

[UpInArms]

3. Maybe you shouldn't withhold their paychecks, assholes

“I can’t have people not showing up for work.”

I show up for money … how about anyone else?

Do you want to work for free and with the dipshit TFG saying he’s gonna stiff all of them.

[ananda]

13. Yeah I mean what's the difference between not getting paid..

and getting fired???

[Bernardo de La Paz]

4. People showing up intermittently is a problem? Make it worse by firing them! . . . . . nt

[ret5hd]

5. just think how attractive those job openings...

would be!!!

Mandatory overtime!
No pay!
High stress!

man, i bet they’d have people lined up for blocks.

[Irish_Dem]

6. Hegseth is drunk all the time. Patel drinking wine and eating steak in expensive restaurants

during emergencies.

Noem off getting botox treatments and new hair extensions.

Trump golfing.

Duffy's colleagues are never working.

[Seinan Sensei]

18. Johnson locked the doors of the House

Little Moses Lickspittle has been demanding that Congress NOT show up to work

[Irish_Dem]

19. This is the true fraud, abuse, waste. Stealing taxpayer money while they live the good life.

[JoseBalow]

7. Turns out that people like getting paid for their work

Who knew?

[walkingman]

8. I hope they all go on a wildcat STRIKE and tell TRUMP to stick it!!

[Ontheroad]

9. OK, now what about the GOP reps who won't show up - but ARE getting paid?

???

[otchmoson]

10. Working without getting paid

. . . isn't that the definition of slavery?

[Buddyzbuddy]

11. At least we have 20 billion for Argentinean pesos.

[3825-87867]

12. No aeroplanes?

Can't get from NYC to DC or Dal-ass to east kabumfuck, Repo-publican land?
No problem! Welcome to the 2nd age of the old "Iron Horse." A lort slower and more pollution, but more jobs for your kids digging coal.

[BidenRocks]

14. Fire ATC?

We never recovered after Reagan fired PATCO union members, right?

From Google: Was the Patco strike successful?
Despite 13,000 ATCs striking, the strike ultimately failed, as the Reagan administration was quickly able to replace the striking ATCs, resulting in PATCO's decertification.

That was 1981

Pay Them!

[Grins]

15. Worked for Reagan!! Oh, wait.... NM

[Figarosmom]

16. Is Duffy old enough

To remember when Reagan did that? Caused more problems than it solved.

I'd love to see airforce one have to land in some little airport w/o an air traffic controller on duty because of his shutdown.

[mnhtnbb]

17. The air traffic controllers stopped

the last government shutdown under the orange a$$hole's first administration. Once they started not showing up for work, that was it. But the whole thing went on for over a month, I think, from December through January 2019?

The government shutdown ended after only 10 air traffic controllers stayed home | CNN Politics https://edition.cnn.com/2019/02/06/politics/ten-air-traffic-controllers-shutdown

[bluevoter4life]

20. Hi. Unpaid Air Traffic Controller here

Duffy is full of shit. He needs us more than we need him. Firing us would directly contradict all the claims this mis-administration has been making in terms of hiring and retention.

I don't know when my next paycheck is coming. If I need a mental health day to process the stress of not getting paid, or pick up a Door Dash shift that will actually give me money, you're damn right I'm calling in sick.

He's starting to sound like Reagan right before he shit-canned all the controllers. Except we hold the cards this time.

Also, our union is utterly useless right now. They have been handed opportunity after opportunity and squandered every last one of them.