The government shutdown has taken a toll on air traffic controllers and caused delays at some of the nation’s busiest airports, as pilots associations demand lawmakers end the political stalemate. The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association issued a statement Wednesday, highlighting the growing strain on airport employees and the broader impact on air travel. ‘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,’ Jody Reven, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, said in a statement.
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,’ Reven added. The shutdown, which has persisted since October 1, when Senate lawmakers failed to reach a funding agreement before the midnight deadline, has led to staffing shortages at major airports including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, and Newark in New Jersey.
Reven released the statement as travelers prepare for the holiday travel season, with a White House official warning that the ongoing shutdown could ‘threaten to ruin the holidays.’ Travel forecasters reported in October that the 2025 holiday season is expected to break travel records as Americans book trips at a higher pace than in 2024.
‘There is no reason the Democratic 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 specifically called on lawmakers to pass a budget because the nation’s entire National Airspace System depends on it. ‘Pass a clean Continuing Resolution, return to Washington, and work in a bipartisan manner to address the challenges each side is so passionate about,’ the statement read. ‘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 shutdown 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