As the federal government shutdown enters its third week, politics threaten to ground aviation, but President Trump seems intent on keeping the towers manned.
Trump Moves To Fund Air Traffic Controllers During Shutdown
With much of the federal government still shuttered, the Trump administration is seeking ways to pay the nation’s air traffic controllers. According to Politico, the White House has directed the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration to tap “alternative funding mechanisms” so controllers can continue receiving paychecks even as the broader government remains unfunded.
Officials are reportedly exploring temporary funding sources within existing aviation trust funds and leftover appropriations to ensure that controller staffing levels, and the safety of the national airspace system, remain intact. The goal is to avoid a repeat of the 2019 shutdown, when thousands of controllers were forced to work without pay, leading to mass fatigue, staffing shortages, and near-disruptions of air traffic operations (though ultimately it was that meltdown that forced Congress to end the shutdown).
The White House’s move has drawn a mixed response. Supporters praise the decision as pragmatic, arguing that air traffic control is essential to public safety and the economy. Critics, however, view it as a political maneuver designed to blunt backlash from a painful shutdown of the president’s own making. Some Democrats have questioned whether the administration has legal authority to redirect trust-fund money without Congressional approval.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) welcomed the discussion but warned that “partial fixes” still leave tens of thousands of FAA employees unpaid. Aviation unions are urging a full reopening of the agency rather than piecemeal stopgaps that maintain only front-line operations.
Will Trump Try To Fund ATCs By Fiat?
In all seriousness, I’m surprised that this administration does not simply direct the Department of the Treasury to print money to cover the Air Traffic Controllers and other government workers the Trump administration deems “essential,” like workers in the Department of Defense War. Of course, that would trigger a constitutional crisis, but I feel like the administration might welcome that at this point.
That aside, I do appreciate that the administration is at least giving lip service to the Constitution and its limitations on executive power. A fundamental bedrock of our system of government is that Congress has the power of the purse. I’m not persuaded Republicans are purely to blame for this shutdown due to Senate cloture rules, but at this point I don’t care…I just want the government to reopen. Let Americans encounter huge sticker shock over 2026 healthcare expenses…they will hopefully vote accordingly next November.
CONCLUSION
Keeping the nation’s airspace running safely is a worthy goal, no matter who occupies the White House. But the push to fund one part of the FAA while the rest of the agency remains frozen highlights a broader dysfunction: America’s aviation system shouldn’t depend on political improvisation. Air traffic control isn’t optional…then again, neither is stable governance. Welcome to 1984 2025.
Government workers should get paid regardless of a shutdown; that’s how it was done before Carter.
However, violating our Constitution is not the way to do this.
Congress is the power of the purse, the co-equal branch of government that sets the budget.
If Congress and the courts merely let Trump do whatever he wants, we really do just have a king here.
He could use the tariff money to pay them. I read somewhere that the executive has more control over that.
I agree with your premise that the gov should re-open and if people do not like the impact of the increased healthcare costs, they can vote accordingly next year.
Sorry, no tariff money left. It all went to Argentina
….and Kristi Noem’s shiny new Gulfstreams.
We are entering the fourth week of the shutdown. Just finishing the third week
“Let Americans encounter huge sticker shock over 2026 healthcare expenses…they will hopefully vote accordingly next November.”
Let illegals encounter huge sticker shock over 2026 healthcare expenses…they will hopefully get out immediately.
There, fixed it for you. Illegals can’t vote you know, at least they’re not supposed to, since you now all of a sudden care about the constitution and stuff.
I know you dont care because you aren’t really American, but real Americans are going to be hurt by this, not illegals.
I didn’t ask you bitch
Looks like I struck a nerve
Yeah. Correct. That’s right. Eat one, bitch.
Billy Bob is correct; Chi Hsuan is spreading disinformation.
The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) subsidies are going to expire without a revised budget; those notices are literally going out this November; American citizens (estimates about 20 million) are going to see dramatic increases in their monthly premiums for health insurance. Many will not be able to afford that, and may lose coverage. If you aren’t insured, in our current system, you don’t get care, and can die. This is not good. Healthcare is a human right.
Even if Chi Hsuan ‘didn’t ask,’ folks, please ‘answer’ whenever someone outright lies on here. We must fight back against such hate-filled propaganda.
Healthcare isn’t a human right. You want insurance? Pay for it you butt slut.
I’m with Winston Churchill on the matter of healthcare.
Sorry, I’m in a silly mood today.
Writing as a conservative Republican who is concerned about mass migration and illegal immigration and has a vested interest in solving the issue…
A person reveals a lot about their humanity (or lack thereof) when they refer to a human being as an “illegal”
We can do better.
I’ll call them illegals all the live long day pal, and I’m happy to disappoint you.
Re: There you go again Sch*tt Hsuan, verifying AGAIN the accuracy of your nickname, if anyone knows about being a bitch it’s obviously you.
Sch*tt Hsuan, proving with your every (too frequent) comments that your nicknames are absolutely accurate and completely deserved and that you have nothing better to do with your pathetic waste-of-oxygen lives than to post abhorrent and revolting comments here over and over again every single day. Thank you for confirming again that you and other MAGAs are stupid hateful racist cretins. Trolling or not, the extent and frequency of your comments are indicative of severe psychiatric and/or addiction problems. Your insults, undoubtedly projection, speak much more to your lack of character than to anyone you attack. You should crawl back under whatever rock you crawled out from you SHPOSs.
He’s pretty much bypassed congress on everything else too.
Its sad schumer is willing to destroy the lives of so many so he can give healthcare to illegals.
End the schumer shutdown.
Its sad schumer is willing to destroy the lives of so many so he can give healthcare to illegals.
End the schumer shutdown.
Man, you’ll believe anything fox news spoon feeds you