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(NewsNation) — As the government shutdown enters its sixth week, airports crossed the U.S. are progressively suffering from the stalemate.
As the impasse betwixt Democrats and Republicans drags on, shortages of aerial postulation controllers person played a relation successful formation delays and cancellations.
New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport has continued experiencing delays of 2 to 3 hours. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport successful Texas besides issued a crushed hold with an mean hold of 40 minutes.
The Federal Aviation Administration said 13,000 aerial postulation controllers are moving without pay, and galore are nether immense stress, unit and fatigue.
"It's conscionable a shame. I mean, the controllers are overworked and underpaid," Tammy Johnson, a retired aerial postulation controller, told NewsNation. "When it happened six years ago, I was 1 of the controllers that had to enactment with nary pay.
"It's conscionable it's conscionable an implicit shame, and to telephone successful sick due to the fact that they're conscionable they're mentally exhausted."
Earlier successful October, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy had warned aerial postulation controllers who had called successful sick alternatively of moving without a paycheck during the shutdown risked being fired.
The FAA responded to Duffy, saying, "We proceed to reiterate we volition ne'er compromise connected information erstwhile staffing shortages occur. The FAA volition trim the travel of aerial postulation to support safety."
