Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that the country’s air traffic control system is being harmed by the ongoing government shutdown, during a visit to Newark’s airport in which he delivered pizzas to air traffic controllers.

“They’re not just now thinking about the airspace,” Duffy said of air traffic controllers, who are not paid during a shutdown. “They’re thinking about, ‘Am I going to get a paycheck?’”

Duffy, speaking at Newark Liberty International Airport, visited with air traffic controllers prior to speaking with the press. The Transportation secretary said the shutdown has increased stress on controllers, who are already working with outdated equipment, and he blamed Democrats for the stalemate. 

In accordance with the Transportation Department’s shutdown contingency plan, more than 11,000 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees — roughly a quarter of the agency’s workforce — were furloughed when the shutdown began. 

However, the plan noted that more than 13,000 air traffic controllers would continue working, with hiring and training also ongoing. But Duffy added Monday that support staffers who train controllers are also at risk of being laid off. 

The FAA announced a plan to hire 8,900 air traffic controllers through August 2028. The plan — when accounting for retirements, attrition from training and other departures — would yield an increase of roughly 1,000 controllers, 2,000 short of what the agency needs to be fully staffed. 

“They’re not wealthy, they don’t have three or four or five months of cash sitting in their bank accounts,” Duffy said. “Like many of us, they go from one paycheck to the next, and they rely on that to pay the bills.” 

“As of right now, that paycheck is not [going to] come, and that concerns them.”

While Duffy said American airspace is safe, there has been a slight increase in controllers taking sick days, which will result in delays. Overall, he said the stoppage puts “great stress on our system at a time when we’re trying to reduce the stress.” 

In January 2019, during the most recent stoppage, an increased number of controllers took sick leave, resulting in travel disruptions across the East Coast.

One service already impacted is the Essential Air Service program, which guarantees air service for rural communities across the country. Duffy said that as of Sunday, extra Transportation Department funding for the program has run out.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, which represents nearly 20,000 air traffic controllers, engineers, and other flight safety workers, called on Congress to end the shutdown last week. The organization’s president, Nick Daniels, reiterated that message alongside Duffy on Monday.

“We do not have the luxury of time. We do not have the time to waste,” Daniels said. “Our message is clear: End the shutdown.”