Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has slammed the Democratic Party lawmakers as the government shutdown enters its 36th day, affecting thousands of federal employees.
Democrats Flirting With Disaster
Quoting a video posted by the Department of Transportation on the social media platform X, Cruz slammed the Democratic Party on Wednesday. "Democrats are flirting with disaster," he said, accusing the party of prolonging the government shutdown that has forced "50,000 TSA agents and 13,000 air traffic controllers to go without pay," Cruz said.
He added that millions of Americans were facing delays and cancellations due to the "Schumer shutdown." He also said that given the situation, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had "no choice but to start curtailing air travel across the country, including at Texas' Dallas, Houston, and Austin airports, to keep the flying public safe."
FAA Cuts 10% Flights Amid Staff Shortages
The news comes as U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that the FAA was cutting capacity across 40 major airports by 10% citing safety concerns amid an ongoing staff shortage. Duffy reiterated the agency's role in continuing to keep "this airspace as safe as possible."
The comments come after Duffy had issued a warning earlier that the U.S. could close airspace to deal with the staff shortages. He also accused the Democrats of prolonging the shutdown, which was hurting new recruitments for ATCs in the U.S.
Duffy had also said that ATCs were driving for DoorDash Inc. (NASDAQ:DASH) and Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE:UBER) to put food on the table as the federal workers continue to work without pay and face backpay uncertainty from the Trump administration.
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