(TruthAndLiberty.com) – On Sunday, Pete Buttigieg, the Transportation Secretary warned that should Congress shut down then there would possibly be disruptions in air travel. Congress has until Friday to pass a funding bill or short-term continuing resolution in order to avoid a government shutdown.
During an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Buttigieg claimed that in the transportation sector, a government shutdown would mean that all air traffic control training would immediately shut down. This would come at a time when the country needs more air control staffing, not less, and when cancellations have only just now managed to reach normal or below-normal levels.
He further stated that air traffic controllers, who are usually working in towers, would no longer be getting paid. He added that these are already stressful jobs and now the added stress of not receiving a paycheck would also be added on top of everything. He stated that the shutdown would intensify the transportation industry’s staffing issues and would cause even more disruptions than the ones it currently faces.
Regarding what passengers should expect about these disruptions, Buttigieg said that the staffing issues would completely stop the transportation department and that there could also be a pause in technology. As he pointed out in January one of the IT systems the Federal Aviation Administration had been trying to modernize had completely gone out. The shutdown would mean that the modernization of the existing systems would take longer.
As he argued this situation needs to be avoided as this is a time when modernization is most needed.
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