The 35-day shutdown in 2019 ended after mass absences among air traffic controllers and TSA officers forced Washington to reopen. (AP pic)
WASHINGTON: Vice president JD Vance on Thursday warned of a potential holiday meltdown if a government shutdown stretches into the busy Thanksgiving holiday travel season and urged Democrats to provide the votes to reopen the government.
Vance said after a White House meeting with the CEOs of American Airlines and United Airlines, unions and other aviation industry officials that shutdown into late November could lead to more employee absences ands much longer security lines and flight delays.
“It could be a disaster. It really could be, because at that point you’re talking about people have missed three paychecks,” Vance said. “How many of them are not going to show up for work?”
Delta Air Lines and United both urged Congress to quickly pass a stop-gap funding bill to let the government reopen and discussions continue after policy disputes. A 30-day government shutdown has led to a surge in flight delays due to air traffic controller absences, sources told Reuters.
The shutdown has forced 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers to work without pay, the sources added.
Airlines have repeatedly urged an end to the shutdown, citing aviation safety risks.
The meeting comes as the shutdown exacerbates pre-existing staffing shortages, forcing more than 63,000 air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration officers to work without pay.
This has led to a spike in unscheduled absences, threatening to cause widespread disruptions similar to those that helped end a 2019 government shutdown.
Duffy said 44% of delays on Sunday and 24% on Monday were caused by air traffic controller absences, compared to 5% on average before the shutdown.
Hundreds of air traffic controllers have taken second jobs to pay bills after missing their first full paycheck on Tuesday and airlines and others are donating food to TSA agents and other federal workers at airports.
The FAA is about 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels and many had been working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks even before the shutdown.
A 2019 35-day shutdown ended after a spike in absences by controllers and TSA officers successfully put pressure on Washington to reopen the government.
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