Sean Duffy Vows ‘Action’ Against Air Traffic Controllers Who Went AWOL During Shutdown: ‘Concerned About Their Patriotism’

David Gilmour Nov 12th, 2025, 8:49 am

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that air traffic controllers who stopped reporting for duty before missing their first paycheck during the government shutdown could face disciplinary action as he declared he was “concerned about their patriotism.”

Speaking Tuesday at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, Duffy told C-SPAN his department would review attendance data to determine whether certain controllers failed to uphold their duties “on a continual basis” during the early days of the funding lapse.

“My concern is, for those air traffic controllers who, before they missed a paycheck, and were in the shutdown,

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