Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy fired back at California Gov. Gavin Newsom after the Democrat blamed President Donald Trump for the government shutdown and its impact on air travel in an X post.
"This guy's unbelievable," Duffy said Tuesday on "Fox & Friends."
"The bottom line is, every Republican has voted to keep the government open. It was Democrats that voted to shut down the government, and Gavin Newsom wants to blame Donald Trump, who had a clean CR," he added.
WITH THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN THREATENING AIR TRAVEL, A GOP BILL SEEKS TO KEEP FLIGHTS RUNNING
Gov. Gavin Newsom looks on during a bill signing event on redrawing the state’s congressional maps on August 21 in Sacramento, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Duffy’s comments came on the heels of Hollywood Burbank Airport being forced to operate for several hours without any air traffic controllers, causing delays – an example, he said, of how the shutdown is putting extra strain on the nation’s airspace.
Newsom seized on that incident in his post, writing, "Thanks, @realDonaldTrump! Burbank Airport has ZERO air traffic controllers from 4:15 p.m. to 10 p.m. today because of your government shutdown."
Duffy argued that the outage highlights the real consequences of what Republicans are calling the "Schumer Shutdown," warning that unpaid air traffic controllers are beginning to call out of work as government gridlock stretches into its second week.
TRUMP SAYS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN LAYOFFS ARE 'UP TO' DEMS AS STANDOFF CONTINUES
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks during a news conference to provide a status update on Newark Liberty International Airport at the Department of Transportation in Washington, May 28. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
"[This is] all because Chuck Schumer's trying to have this political fight. Instead of saying, let's do a clean CR, let's open the government up, let's have a conversation about what Democrats want to talk about, but do that over the course of the next several months. Don't shut it down and affect our airspace, our controllers."
Concerns the shutdown won’t end soon have raised questions about how air traffic controllers will cover mortgages, car payments or groceries.
Duffy suggested such concerns could potentially push some to seek work beyond their current role.
"The pay cycle ended yesterday. Their paychecks come next week, and they see what's on the horizon… They're like, 'Do I see a resolution of the shutdown? I don't see it. So guess what? I'm concerned about my own life, my own family…,'" he said.
Beyond existing controllers, he added that the shutdown could have a "rippling effect" as the nation works to hire more people for the role and fill a shortage of 2,000 people.