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Former FAA deputy administrator Dan Elwell said on “Fox Report Weekend” that “after a paycheck or two, many Americans will find it difficult to pay ongoing bills.” Controllers are set to miss their first paychecks on Tuesday. Elwell, who was FAA administrator during the 2019 shutdown, said the strain on controllers became overwhelming around day 25. As of October 27, the shutdown is on day 26. “… the stress on the controllers is really what broke the shutdown at that time, and we ended it because the delays and the problems with air traffic control came to a head,” he says. According to CNN, at least 264 cases of staffing issues have been reported at FAA facilities since the start of the shutdown on October 1, which is four times the amount at this time last year. Twenty-two of those instances, translating to flight delays, happened Saturday, US Transportation secretary Sean Duffy told Fox News, which he says is one of the highest in the last month. “The controllers are wearing thin,” Duffy said, adding that many are starting to look for second jobs to support themselves and their families. There have been few signs thus far of the current shutdown coming to an end. But a month out from Thanksgiving, one of the busiest travel weeks in the country, the impending travel issues could be among the first.
