Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy isn’t beating around the bush about the dangers of the ongoing Schumer Shutdown, which has led to shortages of Air Traffic Controllers, and said, “risk levels are going up.”
Despite the news on Monday that the amended clean resolution (CR) passed in the Senate thanks to eight Democrats who voted to end the shutdown after more than forty days, things are getting more dangerous in the air, with data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) showing more “loss of separation” incidents and runway incursions between aircraft. Duffy spoke to reporters during a presser at Central Wisconsin Airport, and he brought home the reality (starting at the 10:07 minute mark in the clip below):
WATCH LIVE: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy gives update on FAA flight cuts. https://t.co/oiiizVk4xi
— Boston 25 News (@boston25) November 11, 2025
MORE: Report: Schumer’s Plans to Keep the Schumer Shutdown From Ending Were Worse Than We Thought
“So in regard to the data, I’m not going to give the exact numbers, but what I’ve told everyone is, we saw what’s called loss of separation,” Duffy said. “There’s safe distances that airplanes need to maintain in the airspace. We saw incursions in that separation. Now, was it a near miss? No, but there were incursions, loss of separation. So that’s the first thing we saw, the data was going in the wrong direction.”
“We saw runway incursions,” he added. “And then I had complaints from pilots. The airline pilots were saying, ‘Hey, FAA, I’m having different experiences with the controller. They’re not responding to me as quickly, they seem stressed.’ Or they would say, the controllers and pilots use very specific language, the language that they’re using the controller was using was getting sloppy.”
“All those numbers were going in the wrong direction, which means the risk levels are going up,” Duffy continued.
Speaking to Fox News later on Tuesday, former New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu – now ceo for Airlines for America – said even once the government opens, it’s not just like “turning a switch,” especially with the Thanksgiving holiday travel coming up.
“You have to get planes, crews, the logistics of getting the system back into place,” Sununu said. “You need the president to sign the bill. You need the controllers to come back. You need the pay to actually hit the bank account.”
“So, there’s prob, I would estimate from the time the House passing something, to getting quote back to normal, that’s a good week at least,” he added. “And hopefully that happens well before Thanksgiving. No one should cancel their plans. We feel confident Thanksgiving will be at quote end quote normal level.”
“But it’s not going to turn on a dime,” the CEO continued. “We just need, again, pack your patience. We thank the American public…again, if we can just get through another week, we should be okay.”
Fox News stats showed just how chaotic the Schumer Shutdown has affected air travel, with flight delays between Friday and Monday at 35,021, cancellations of flights at 7,964, and those cancellations and delays continued on Tuesday.
Let’s hope the House gets this done ASAP.
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
Help us continue to report the truth about the Schumer Shutdown. Use promo code POTUS47 to get 74% off your VIP membership.
