Former air traffic controller Michael Pearson says an Obama-era “social engineering” experiment has gutted the FAA’s training pipeline, leaving U.S. airspace understaffed and travelers facing years of turbulence.
President Donald Trump proposed giving a $10,000 bonus to air traffic controllers who stay on the job despite the government shutdown, even though their paychecks have been delayed.
Trump raised the idea of rewarding air traffic controllers in a post on Truth Social on Monday, when he wrote: “All air traffic controllers need to go back to work NOW!!! Anyone who doesn’t will be substantially ‘docked’.”
“To those air traffic controllers who were GREAT PATRIOTS, and did NOT take ANY VACATION for the ‘Democrat Shutdown Hoax,’ I will recommend a BONUS of $10,000 per person for outstanding service to our country.”
“To those who did nothing but complain and take time off even though everyone knew they would be paid in FULL shortly in the future, I AM NOT HAPPY WITH YOU,” the president added.
FORMER AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL REVEALS SHOCKING TRUTH ABOUT ONGOING FAA STAFF CRISIS
President Trump proposed giving air traffic controllers who continued to work during the shutdown a $10,000 bonus. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call Inc via Getty Images/Getty Images)
“We don’t really have a shortage,” Trump said, adding that “a lot of people want the job.”
“I wasn’t happy when I saw all these people. We have to – look, life isn’t that easy for anyone. Our country has never done better. We shouldn’t have allowed people to leave their jobs,” Trump said. “And what I basically did is I said those who stayed, of which there were many, I’m sending them a $10,000 bonus.”
Ingraham asked Trump where the money for those bonuses would come from, and he replied, “I don’t know, I’ll get it from somewhere.”
“I always get the money from somewhere. It doesn’t matter. We’ve done a lot of – I do a lot of bonuses for people because it’s really something that – it’s just like the American way when you think about it,” the president said.
FAA CONFIRMS WHICH 40 MARKETS CAN CUT AVIATION TRAFFIC BY 10%
Trump said he wants to reward air traffic controllers who continued to show up for work despite missing paychecks during the shutdown. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
“Here’s someone who shows up every day. Some of them showed up early because they knew there would be a problem,” he added. “A lot of the people who showed up also had second jobs. They took second jobs temporarily, but they all know the money is coming, and the money is coming.”
“So I want to reward the people who showed up without a lot of nonsense, without a lot of talk, they did their job and in many cases they worked longer hours to get us through this period,” Trump said.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has faced a shortage of air traffic controllers during the government shutdown, which began on October 1.
Although air traffic controllers are considered essential workers who were not furloughed, they and most other federal employees were left without pay during the shutdown. Historically, federal employees who go unpaid during a shutdown receive full back wages once the shutdown ends.
TURBULENCE AHEAD: CHARTS SHOW HOW THE SHUTDOWN IS DISRUPTING US AIRPORTS
The shortage of air traffic controllers prompted the FAA to order airlines to reduce the number of flights from 40 major airports by up to 10%. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)
The lengthy shutdown, which became the longest in U.S. history after it surpassed the 35-day shutdown that ended in January 2019, led to an increase in the number of controllers becoming unemployed or retiring.
The shortage of controllers available to work raised concerns about inadequate staffing and overloaded controllers FAA to order domestic airlines to cancel 4% of their flights at 40 major airports from Friday. That figure rose to 6% on Tuesday and is expected to rise to 10% next Friday if the shutdown has not ended by then.
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The Senate passed a bill late Monday night to reopen the government, although legislation still requires it approval by the Housewhich is expected to vote on the bill in the coming days, although it remains unclear when the vote will take place.
