Buttigieg says government shutdown would make air traffic controller shortage worse
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says a government shutdown would come at the "wrong moment" amid ATC staffing shortage Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said a government shutdown would come "at exactly the wrong moment" as the department works to address the ongoing air traffic controller shortage. While the Department of Transportation met its hiring goals this year for air traffic controllers, Buttigieg noted if a government shutdown occurs at the end of the month, it would "stop us in our tracks" as the Federal Aviation Administration works to train new controllers. If a government shutdown occurs, controllers currently working in towers would stay on the job, but training of new controllers at the FAA facility in Oklahoma would pause. "We now have 2,600 air traffic controller s in training. A government shutdown would stop that training. Even a shutdown lasting a few weeks could set us back by months or more because of how compl...