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A pilots’ association jumped into the government shutdown fray Wednesday, calling on U.S. lawmakers to pass a “clean continuing resolution” and reopen the government, citing the mounting strain the shutdown has placed on airport employees.
“Our air traffic controllers and the broader air traffic system are already operating under immense pressure — a government shutdown only compounds that stress and threatens the efficiency of our skies as we see the impact of reduced controller availability at facilities across the country,” Jody Reven, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, wrote in a Wednesday statement.
“Likewise, TSA professionals continue to show up every day to safeguard the traveling public, even without pay. These men and women deserve our full support and the certainty of a paycheck,” he continued.
The government shutdown has persisted since Oct. 1, when Senate lawmakers failed to reach a funding agreement before a midnight deadline. The Trump administration and Republicans have since pinned blame for the shutdown on Democrats, claiming they sought taxpayer-funded medical benefits for illegal immigrants.
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Democrats, however, have denied the claims and pinned blame for the shutdown on their Republican colleagues.
The shutdown has led to delays at massive travel hubs such as Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Newark, New Jersey, as air traffic controllers — who are employed by the Federal Aviation Administration — suffer staffing shortages.
Reven’s statement comes as travelers gear up for holiday flights for Thanksgiving and Christmas, with a White House official telling Fox News Digital that as the shutdown continues, it “threatens to ruin the holidays.” The 2025 holiday season is expected to break travel records as Americans book trips at a higher pace than 2024, travel forecasters reported in October.
“There is no reason the Democrat shutdown should have ever happened, let alone last this long,” the official said. “But the longer it goes on, the more it threatens to ruin the holidays, not only for the Americans missing paychecks but also for every American that travels during the holidays.”
The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association’s press release specifically called on lawmakers to pass a budget as the nation’s entire National Airspace System depends on it.
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“Pass a clean Continuing Resolution, return to Washington, and work in a bipartisan manner to address the challenges each side is so passionate about,” it stated. “Our National Airspace System, the workers that support it, and the traveling public depend on it.”
When approached for comment on the statement, White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers demanded Democrats “stop causing chaos.”
“Democrats say that every day of the shut down gets better and that they want to use suffering families as leverage to achieve their radical left-wing agenda — but the people they’re using as ‘leverage’ disagree,” Rogers said. “From pilots to flight attendants and air traffic controllers, their message is simple: the Democrats need to stop causing chaos and end the shutdown.”
The Air Line Pilots Association, the world’s largest airline pilot union, also called on lawmakers to reopen the government earlier in October.
“The job of keeping aviation safe and secure is tough on an easy day, but forcing them to do it without pay undermines the safety and security of our entire system,” Jason Ambrosi, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, said in a statement Oct. 15. “We are at a critical moment in aviation safety, and we need our leaders to be focused on the necessary infrastructure and staffing improvements.”
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President Donald Trump accused Senate Democrats of “holding the entire federal government hostage” Tuesday while demanding the government reopen by passing a “clean, bipartisan CR.”
“They are the obstructionists,” he said. “And the reason they’re doing it is because we’re doing so well. We’re doing well all over the world.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Tuesday that he and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., reached out to Trump to request a meeting to negotiate an end to the shutdown.
“Hakeem and I reached out to the president today and urged him to sit down and negotiate with us to resolve the healthcare crisis, address it and end the Trump shutdown,” Schumer said. “He should sit — the things get worse every day for the American people. He should sit down with us, negotiate in a serious way before he goes away.”
Fox News Digital’s Alex Miller contributed to this report.
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