Vice President JD Vance is calling on five ‘reasonable Democrats’ to join Republicans and three moderate Democrats to end the government shutdown, which is causing severe impacts on the aviation industry. Air traffic controllers are missing paychecks, leading to staffing shortages and flight delays. Vance and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy are holding a roundtable with industry leaders to address the crisis, emphasizing the need for a clean continuing resolution to fund essential services.
The government shutdown continues to wreak havoc on the aviation sector, with air traffic controllers and other federal workers facing unpaid wages. Vance, who is known for his conservative-leaning views within the Republican Party, has been particularly vocal in his criticism of the Democratic Party’s handling of the budget dispute. During a roundtable at the White House, Vance emphasized the urgency of passing a clean continuing resolution to ensure that critical services remain operational. ‘All we need to end the craziness, to pay the air traffic controllers, to pay the (Transportation Security Administration) agents, to pay the pilots, to make sure that food stamp benefits continue to go out to the American people who need them,’ he stated.
The shutdown, which began on October 1, has intensified due to partisan gridlock, with Republicans blaming Democrats for including healthcare benefits for illegal immigrants in the funding package, while Democrats argue the opposite. Only two Senate Democrats, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, along with independent Angus King of Maine, have voted alongside 52 Republicans to reopen the government. The measure needs 60 votes in order to pass. Vance accused the far left wing of the Democratic Party of prolonging the shutdown, stating that it is the party’s ‘extremists’ who are taking the American people’s government hostage.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Vance also highlighted the growing impact on everyday Americans, including families and travelers. The shutdown has caused widespread flight delays, with affected cities such as Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, and Newark experiencing significant disruptions. Unions and trade associations representing airline workers, including the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA), are increasingly calling on Congress to pass a clean continuing resolution to end the crisis. ‘We urge Congress to end the government shutdown by passing a clean Continuing Resolution,’ said AMFA National President Bret Oestreich in a recent press release. As the situation continues to escalate, pressure on lawmakers to reach a compromise is mounting, with the potential for further economic damage and disruption to daily life.