Transportation Secretary says Hegseth offered him air traffic controllers to help with delays, but there’s an obvious problem
Amid the Federal Aviation Administration’s staffing shortage due to the ongoing government shutdown, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy claimed that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth offered to provide him with air traffic controllers, even though they lacked certification.
“The Secretary of War texted me yesterday and said, ‘I might have some air traffic controllers. If you can use them, I’ll offer them to you,'” Duffy told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday. “State of the Union.”
Noting that he is not sure he can use them “because they are not certified in the airspaces where we need them,” Duffy said he could use them anyway.
“But if I can, I will use them.”
“Everyone in this administration, under President Trump, has said ‘minimize the pain to Americans.’ So this is not political, it is strictly security,” he continued.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to News themezone’s request for comment.
Duffy continued to attack the left wing, telling Tapper that he is making the best of “a disaster that the Democrats have placed in my lap” and that he is working to “keep the American people safe and keep planes flying.”
Earlier this month, the FAA ordered to reduce flights in response to the shortage of air traffic controllers, who have not received their paychecks for weeks, as the government shutdown continues to loom.
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Elsewhere in the interview, Tapper asked Duffy if he had any “numerical idea of how many Americans will not be able to be with their families” for Thanksgiving due to the growing shortage, to which Duffy said he anticipates the number will be “substantial.”
“I’m trying to get more air traffic controllers into the towers and getting certified, but I’m short 1,000 to 2,000 controllers,” he continued.
Duffy then stated that widespread shortages at airports will continue even after the shutdown ends because air traffic controllers are retiring faster than in the past.
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“So I paid experienced drivers to stay on the job and not retire. I used to pick up around 4 drivers a day before the lockdown. Now I have 15-20 a day. [that] “They are retiring,” he explained.
Duffy added: “So it’s going to be harder for me to come back after the lockdown and have more controllers controlling the airspace. So this is going to endure in air travel well beyond the timeframe in which this government reopens.”
Duffy on flight cancellations: “This is not political. This is strictly security. And I’m doing what I can in a mess that the Democrats have put in my lap. And now I’m trying to keep the American people safe and keep the planes flying.” pic.twitter.com/9WVyl4w8Ek
– State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) November 9, 2025
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Duffy on flight cancellations: “This is not political. This is strictly security. And I’m doing what I can in a mess that the Democrats have put in my lap. And now I’m trying to keep the American people safe and keep the planes flying.” pic.twitter.com/9WVyl4w8Ek
– State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) November 9, 2025