With the federal government nearing a shutdown at the end of the month, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is expressing concern that a government shutdown could affect air travel. "A shutdown would include, just in the transportation side alone, shutting down air traffic control training at the exact moment when the country recognizes the need for more, not less, ATC staffing and when we have finally got cancellations back at or below normal rates," Buttigieg said.
"They're under enough stress as it is doing that job without having to come into work with the added stress of not receiving a paycheck," Buttigieg told CNN. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has noted that there has been some disagreement among Republican members in the House over appropriation bills. With some Republicans holding out on reaching an agreement, McCarthy is trying to cobble together enough support within the party to pass government funding.
Buttigieg said on Sunday that proposed budget cuts would make it harder for the Federal Aviation Administration to modernize its systems. He added a shutdown would also halt the progress being made by the FAA following a system outage in January 2023 that caused the first nationwide ground stop since 2001.