Air traffic controller union calls for government shutdown to end

(NewsNation) — The National Air Traffic Controllers Association is now calling on Congress to end the government shutdown.

NATCA now joins the American Federation of Government Employees as another large union representing federal government workers to push Washington lawmakers on passing a short-term funding bill so that workers get a paycheck.

“End this shutdown today,” NATCA President Nick Daniels said during a news briefing at LaGuardia Airport on Tuesday. “There is no excuse that these hardworking men and women are showing up to do this job and to not ever know when they’re going to get paid again.”

Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also continued his calls for an end to the shutdown, again shifting the blame to Senate Democrats for causing it in the first place. Duffy said a bill was being voted on to pay air traffic controllers and other federal employees as the shutdown continued, but it was struck down by the party.

“I think we’re getting to the point of extremism,” Duffy said. “It does beg the question for me: ‘What are the Democrats fighting for?’ Let’s fight for America.”

One of the biggest issues stemming from why the shutdown started was Democrats refusing a vote until Republicans promise to commit to expanding subsidies that come from the Affordable Care Act. The GOP has continually accused the Democrats of holding the government hostage because they want to provide healthcare to people living in the U.S. illegally.

Now in its fourth week, the shutdown has caused flight disruptions at airports across the country due to a shortage of air traffic controllers.

Hundreds of thousands of federal employees — including 13,000 air traffic controllers staffed at U.S. airports — are working without pay.

Duffy has called those workers “critical infrastructure” because they ensure the safety of U.S. airspace.

On Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration said flight disruptions have been reported at airports in Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Newark, New Jersey due to the shortage.