As the federal government shutdown enters its third week, politics threaten to ground aviation, but President Trump seems intent on keeping the towers manned.
Officials are reportedly exploring temporary funding sources within existing aviation trust funds and leftover appropriations to ensure that controller staffing levels, and the safety of the national airspace system, remain intact. The goal is to avoid a repeat of the 2019 shutdown, when thousands of controllers were forced to work without pay, leading to mass fatigue, staffing shortages, and near-disruptions of air traffic operations (though ultimately it was that meltdown that forced Congress to end the shutdown).
The White House’s move has drawn a mixed response. Supporters praise the decision as pragmatic, arguing that air traffic control is essential to public safety and the economy. Critics, however, view it as a political maneuver designed to blunt backlash from a painful shutdown of the president’s own making. Some Democrats have questioned whether the administration has legal authority to redirect trust-fund money without Congressional approval.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on Live and Let's Fly.
