After more than a month without pay, air traffic controllers across the nation are reaching their breaking point, and now, their union president is speaking out.
During an interview on Fox News with Martha MacCallum, Nick Daniels, President of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), called on Congress, specifically Senate Democrats, to immediately end the “Schumer Shutdown.”
According to Daniels, the situation has become dire. The FAA is operating with only 10,800 certified controllers, nearly 3,800 short of the required 14,633.
The shutdown has not only frozen hiring but is also prompting resignations from both certified professionals and trainees who can no longer afford to work without pay.
Travelers across the country are already feeling the effects. On Friday, the FAA reported that nearly 80% of air traffic controllers were absent from New York-area facilities, leading to widespread delays at major airports like Newark and JFK.
Daniels emphasized that air traffic controllers “don’t start shutdowns and aren’t responsible for ending them,” squarely placing the blame on Congress, and by extension, Senate Democrats led by Chuck Schumer, for continuing to use federal workers as bargaining chips.
Nick Daniels:
It’s becoming more difficult to articulate day by day — the stress, the frustration. It’s a job that we already know is one of the most high-demanding, high-consequence jobs in the world, and yet now there’s a level of hopelessness. They wake up to the same headlines as America wakes up to every day that say there’s no end in sight.And that absolutely is no way to start a shift. It obviously doesn’t put gas in a car or have any way to help pay for your childcare. And that’s what the controllers are contending with day in and day out — on top of this extremely difficult job.
Martha MacCallum:
So give us the reality in terms of what happens in that air traffic control booth that we’re looking at on the right-hand side. I live not far from Newark Airport.I had friends there Friday night — they waited two, three hours for their planes to get off. And we know Secretary Duffy has said that they will not compromise safety. So basically, that means you’ve got fewer people, and it’s going to take a whole lot longer, right?
Nick Daniels:
I think the number one thing to understand is that the staffing shortage that this country is facing is real. Secretary Duffy — we partner with him. We share the same vision of bringing more air traffic controllers into the system. We operated with only 10,800 certified controllers, and there should be 14,633. We are 3,800 controllers short today.And now, over the course of the last week, we’re getting reports of certified controllers resigning because of the government shutdown. We’re getting reports of trainees resigning because of this shutdown.
So yes, when one person now has to do the job of two, we have to combine positions because we have air traffic controllers who can’t afford to put gas in their car or pay for childcare. These issues are going to mount day by day.
Martha MacCallum:
I mean, it’s truly frightening. And then you think about the stresses that you refer to — on top of no paycheck and the way this job works, what you have to do to concentrate on these flight paths and to allow planes to come in and land and make sure that they don’t run into other planes that are coming in and landing. This is such a high-stress job. Tell us what the impact is on that part of this.Nick Daniels:
Now, these American patriots — they are the unsung heroes that Secretary Duffy speaks about so often. They are the ones that have been thrust into the spotlight, into the center focus of a shutdown. And air traffic controllers — we don’t start shutdowns. We’re not responsible for ending shutdowns. But who does? It’s Congress.And that’s why we’re saying: end the shutdown immediately. It’s not like we’re sitting here talking about an aviation issue. I understand the fears, the frustrations of the American people. We want to do an amazing job on their behalf — and we are. We’re showing up to work every day the best way that we can to get through this crisis.
But this isn’t something that we asked for. We didn’t want to put ourselves in the middle of it. Yet here we are — the rope in the tug-of-war game that we didn’t ask for at all. And we should not be used as political pawns in any way, shape, or form for these shutdowns.
Martha MacCallum:
It’s too important — what happens in our skies — and God forbid something happened as a result of all of this. We know that Secretary Duffy has said that people will not lose their jobs. He understands the stress that they’re under, so hopefully we can get this thing back up and running very soon.
WATCH:
BREAKING: The President of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association just CALLED FOR the Democrat Senators to END the Schumer Shutdown!
There will be ZERO support for Democrats by the end of this shutdown.
Not only are Democrats at fault, but THEY CAN’T DENY IT! pic.twitter.com/oDYMkszF2B
— Gunther Eagleman
(@GuntherEagleman) November 3, 2025
The Gateway Pundit previously reported that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that Senate Democrats’ refusal to fund the government without healthcare benefits for illegal immigrants is crippling the nation’s air travel system and driving young air traffic controllers out of the profession altogether.
Secretary Duffy:
“We’re getting word back right now from our academy in Oklahoma City. Some of our young controllers in the academy, and some who have been given spots in the next class of the academy, are bailing. They’re walking away.They’re asking themselves, “Why do I want to go into a profession where I could work hard and have the potential of not being paid for my services?” We’re seeing that real consequence right now. That affects my ability to continue this surge and get more people — more young, well-trained controllers — into our system.
And so I want to lay out what’s happening, make sure America knows what the consequences are for a foolish shutdown on behalf of illegals, because it has impacts on the traveling public’s life as they see more delays in the system. I find that to be unacceptable.”
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