As the longest government shutdown in U.S. history drags on, the country’s transportation system is beginning to face the brunt of the impact as unpaid air traffic controllers and security staff are being stretched thin, forcing the Trump administration to make significant reductions in flights as the busy holiday season approaches.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced this week that flights at 40 of the nation’s largest airports would be reduced by 10% in order to accommodate for the air traffic controller staffing shortages that are occurring across the country. Due to the government shutdown, 13,000 controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration agents have been working without pay since October 1. Even before the shutdown began, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was 3,500 controllers short of targeted staffing levels.

With controllers on the verge of missing their second full paycheck early next week, some are resigning, while others are not showing up for work. But most are continuing to fill their shifts of the critical safety role while also taking on second jobs in order to put food on the table and pay their mortgages. As reported by The New York Times, many are taking early morning shifts stocking grocery store shelves, driving for Uber and Lyft, making food deliveries, working in restaurants, and even hanging Christmas lights while at the same time dutifully reporting for 10-hour shifts in the control towers of airports. Many are reporting that the stress levels are beginning to take a toll, with one commenting, “I’m broken down. I’m sore. I’m mentally drained.”

Despite these heroic efforts, shortages in staffing have forced the government’s hand. “We had a gut check of what is our job?” Duffy told reporters after reviewing a confidential safety assessment of the situation. “Our job is to make sure we make the hard decisions to continue to keep the airspace safe.” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford agreed, noting, “When we see pressures building in these 40 markets, we just can’t ignore it. We can take action today to prevent things from deteriorating so the system is extremely safe today, will be extremely safe tomorrow.” Experts say that travelers should remain confident in the safety of the air traffic control system as the induced delays and cancellations will stop controllers from being overwhelmed while on the job.

Still, lawmakers like Rep. Bob Onder (R-Mo.) say that Democrats need to agree to reopen the government in order to relieve the pressure on such a critical industry for the country’s functioning.

“Safety is paramount for the FAA,” he emphasized during Thursday’s “Washington Watch with Tony Perkins.” “… Sean Duffy has been warning for weeks now that he does not want to see his air traffic controllers having to work night jobs driving Uber or Lyft in order to make ends meet. But more and more, the ATC [air traffic control] employees are suffering. One union official said that there [are] unprecedented resignations among his ranks. We know that now Delta, Southwest, and United are already announcing flight cancellations because of this reduction in air traffic. Look, we need the Democrats to do the right thing and to come back to the table [and] reopen the government so we can get all of our federal workers paid, but especially those who have jobs relating to public safety like ATC.”

Onder, who serves on the aviation subcommittee of the House’s Transportation Infrastructure Committee and is a private pilot, went on to point out that the chaos unleashed on air travel by the government shutdown will likely have detrimental effects on the economy.

“Commercial aviation has a huge impact on our economy,” he explained. “Not only business travel, leisure travel, but also moving cargo. UPS, FedEx, and others move a vast amount of cargo. I mean, how do we think that Amazon or Walmart gets stuff to our homes overnight when we place an order? This could have an enormous impact on our economy, the holiday season, holiday travel, but also many businesses. They speak of the day after Thanksgiving as being Black Friday because … it’s the first day of the year where they make a profit. There’s supply chain interruption, whether it be by boat or truck or airplane that has huge economic consequences.”

Onder further contended that recent tragedies like January’s airplane collision at Ronald Reagan National Airport highlight the need for more focus on and funding of air traffic safety.

“The air traffic controllers are absolutely key to the safety of our commercial and our general aviation systems,” he underscored. “… Understaffing, which was the case the night of that crash, is a potentially tragic situation. You know, this summer, though, in the One Big Beautiful Bill, we did pass an extra $12.5 billion in infrastructure for air traffic control systems, something that is badly needed, I believe. Sean Duffy estimates we’re going to need about $50 or $60 billion total. So that was just a down payment.”

Nevertheless, “Personnel are first and foremost the most important,” Onder concluded. “And that’s why we need to get the air traffic controllers paid [and] back to work, or else it’s only going to get worse.”