Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy instructed FOX Enterprise on Friday that main U.S. airways are “going to lose millions of dollars” after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) slashed flights at airports across the nation as a result of ongoing authorities shutdown.
So as to scale back the pressure on air site visitors controllers, who’ve been working unpaid because the begin of the shutdown over a month in the past, triggering staffing points at airports throughout the nation, the FAA is initiating a brief 10% discount in flights at 40 high-traffic airports throughout the U.S.
“The airlines have been good partners. They don’t love this. They’re going to lose millions of dollars because of this. It’s challenging for them to take down flights,” Duffy instructed FOX Enterprise Washington correspondent Grady Trimble at Ronald Reagan Washington Nationwide Airport.
“And to those passengers that are upset, listen, call your Democrat senator. Fourteen times they voted no to open up the government,” Duffy added.
LIVE UPDATES: FAA CUTS TO AIR TRAFFIC BEGINS FRIDAY AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CONTINUES
A board reveals canceled American Airways flights at Logan Worldwide Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. (Brian Snyder/Reuters / Reuters)
“Those in the House that are sniping at me, they voted no to open up the government. And again, you can have votes. There’s a process on how this is supposed to work in the Congress. Shutdowns are not the way you get your will and your way if you’ve lost elections. You introduce bills, you debate, you vote. That’s what you do. And if you can’t get what you want, you don’t shut the government down and inflict this pain on the American people,” Duffy continued.
The FAA’s plan requires a 4% reduce in flights starting Friday, and ramping as much as 6% by Tuesday, Nov. 11. By Thursday, Nov. 13, the discount will hit 8%, and eventually 10% on Friday, Nov. 14.
FORMER AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER UNVEILS THE SHOCKING TRUTH ABOUT ONGOING FAA STAFFING CRISIS
A Southwest Airways airplane takes off from Minneapolis–Saint Paul Worldwide Airport in Minneapolis, Minn., on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. (Tim Evans/Reuters / Reuters)
Duffy additionally stated Friday, “Let’s open the government up.”
Vacationers make their approach by way of a TSA safety checkpoint at Logan Worldwide Airport in Boston, Mass., on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. (Brian Snyder/Reuters / Reuters)
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“Let’s pay our controllers and reduce the pressure. That’s not happening. The Senate actually is going home this weekend. As many people here can’t get home, the Senate goes home. They should be here every day, every weekend, every week, trying to find a deal so we can open the government back up,” he added.
