1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to take immediate action to end the government shutdown, which is continuing to introduce unnecessary distractions into the National Airspace System. Air traffic control is one of the most complex operations in the world, requiring multiple layers of safety systems and processes, all managed by highly-trained, highly-skilled professionals who ensure the flying public’s safety. The shutdown has already weakened this system and threatens to further delay critical safety, training, and modernization work. Air traffic controllers and other aviation safety professionals are being forced to work without pay, often under grueling schedules of six days a week and 10 hours a day. The stress and fatigue this creates deepens the strain on an already short-staffed workforce, distracting them from performing to the high standards the public depends on. At the same time, approximately 2,350 additional aviation safety professionals—including civil and electrical engineers, architects, and aircraft certification engineers—have been furloughed, halting their essential safety, operational, and modernization work. The shutdown is also threatening to stall progress on solving the controller staffing crisis. The FAA is approximately 3,800 controllers short of its staffing target. Each day lost to the shutdown threatens to prolong the shortage and undermine Secretary Duffy’s plan to supercharge hiring. This shutdown doesn’t just harm aviation safety professionals—it undermines the reliability and efficiency of our entire system and threatens the United States’ standing as the global gold standard in aviation. For the sake of the American flying public and the workforce that keeps our skies safe I urge you to act immediately to end the government shutdown. Thank You.