Air traffic controllers receive $0 paychecks as government shutdown stretches | US federal government shutdown 2025

Air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration employees missed their first paychecks as the federal government shutdown enters its fourth week. They remain obliged to work.

Nearly 11,000 air traffic controllers, considered essential workers, received $0 pay on Tuesday, equivalent to two weeks of unpaid work. Sean Duffy, the Transportation Secretary, warned at a news conference Tuesday that another missed paycheck could be financially catastrophic for employees.

“A lot of our controllers can get by without that first paycheck; they’ve been on the job for 10, 15, 20 years; they’ve planned for days like this,” Duffy said at New York’s LaGuardia Airport.

“It’s day one,” Duffy added of the missed payments. “The second day becomes more difficult, [and] the third day is more difficult after that, as expenses continue to increase [in].”

Duffy noted that air travel is still safe, but flight delays and other travel issues could persist as the shutdown continues. Flight disruptions have become increasingly frequent due to personnel issues, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Staffing problems have been reported in Chicago, Dallas, Nashville and other major cities. At the time of publication, more than 3,000 flights were delayed within, arriving in, or departing from the United States, according to FlightAware. The number of US flights canceled was 132.

Union leaders also cited the financial struggles of essential workers. “Air traffic controllers need to be 100% focused 100% of the time,” Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said at the same news conference. “And I watch the air traffic controllers go to work… They’re worried about paying for medicine for their daughter. I got a message from one controller who said, ‘I’m running out of money. And if she doesn’t get the medicine she needs, she’ll die.'”

Some airlines have decided to donate meals to unpaid federal employees to ease their financial difficulties. United told CBS News it is feeding workers at its centers, including Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington DC. Delta and JetBlue also announced they would offer food to workers.

Air traffic controllers have taken on side jobs such as Uber Eats and DoorDash to make ends meet until the government reopens.

“They should never have a side job, they should never leave a night shift and then go to wait tables,” Daniels said at the news conference.