On Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced new airspace restrictions at a news conference due to Schumer’s ongoing shutdown to “help reduce risks in the national airspace.”
Reuters reports this that the shutdown has forced 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officials to work without pay and paralyzed tens of thousands of flights.
Duffy shared some of the restrictions that will come into effect.
Duffy told reporters: “Our only role is to ensure that we keep this airspace as safe as possible. The administrator is going to talk about all the instruments that we are going to deploy.”
“One of these, however, will be that there will be a 10% reduction in capacity at 40 of our locations. The operator will tell you that this is data-based. This is not based on which airline is traveling… has more flights from which location.”
“This is about where the pressure is and how we can alleviate the pressure.”
Watch:
@USDOT starts a 10% capacity reduction at 40 major airports.
This data-based decision is intended to ease the burden on our air traffic controllers, who are needed to keep the airspace safe. pic.twitter.com/9J9fCw84MA
— USDOT Rapid Response (@USDOTRapid) November 5, 2025
According to Duffy, the restrictions will come into effect on Friday and will affect around 4,000 flights across the country. A list of affected airports will be released on Thursday.
“I hope Democrats come to their senses and end this shutdown,” Duffy told reporters. “I don’t even know what they’re asking for. I have no idea.”
“What does the shutdown mean? I don’t know. Do they want to negotiate? They want… I don’t know what they want. They say they have power through the shutdown, but they get power by hurting the American people.
“I’m frustrated by it because I’m looking through our system again. I’ve worked very hard to make it safer. I’ve worked very hard to bring air traffic controllers… more into our academy… more into our training system in our towers and centers.”
“This doesn’t help us solve that problem. This just makes the problem worse.”
Watch:
I don’t even know what the Democrats want to end the Schumer-Jeffries shutdown!⁰⁰A system that I worked very hard to make more secure is now in jeopardy because the Democrats are holding the American people hostage.⁰⁰End the shutdown NOW! pic.twitter.com/yQNwU0joo5
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) November 4, 2025
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