Pilots association calls on lawmakers to immediately end government shutdown

A pilots association waded into the battle against the government shutdown on Wednesday, calling on U.S. lawmakers to pass a “continuing, clean resolution” and reopen the government, citing the growing strain the shutdown has placed on airport workers.

“Our air traffic controllers and the air traffic system as a whole are already operating under immense pressure – a government shutdown only compounds this stress and threatens the efficiency of our skies as we see the impact of reduced controller availability at facilities across the country,” Jody Reven, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, wrote in a statement Wednesday.

“Likewise, TSA professionals continue to show up every day to protect the traveling public, even without pay. These men and women deserve our full support and the certainty of a paycheck.”

The government shutdown has persisted since Oct. 1, when Senate lawmakers failed to reach a funding deal before a midnight deadline. The Trump administration and Republicans have since placed blame for the shutdown on Democrats, saying they sought taxpayer-funded medical benefits for illegal immigrants.

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Pilot associations are calling on U.S. lawmakers to reach a funding deal to reopen the government as holiday travel approaches. (Joseph Prezioso/AFP/Getty Images)

Democrats, however, denied the claims and blamed their Republican colleagues for the shutdown.

The shutdown has led to delays at huge travel hubs such as Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Newark, New Jersey, as air traffic controllers, employed by the Federal Aviation Administration, face staffing shortages.

Reven released its statement as travelers prepare for holiday flights for Thanksgiving and Christmas. And a White House official told Fox News Digital that as the shutdown continues, it “threatens to ruin the holidays.” The 2025 holiday season is expected to break travel records as Americans book trips at a higher rate than in 2024, according to travel forecasters. reported in October.

“There is no reason for the Democratic shutdown to happen, much less for it to last this long,” the official said. “But the longer this goes on, the more it threatens to ruin the holidays, not only for Americans who miss out on pay, but for all Americans who travel during the holidays.”

The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association press release specifically called on lawmakers to pass a budget because the nation’s entire national airspace system depends on it.

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President Donald Trump said the government shutdown, which took effect Oct. 1, 2025, would likely lead to mass layoffs and program cuts. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

“Pass a clear continuing resolution, return to Washington, and work in a bipartisan manner to address the challenges that each side is passionate about,” he said. “Our national airspace system, the workers who support it, and the travelers depend on it.”

When reached for comment, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers asked Democrats to “stop causing chaos.”

“Democrats say every day of shutdown gets better and they want to use hurting families as leverage to achieve their radical left agenda, but the people they use as ‘leverage’ disagree,” Rogers said. “From pilots to flight attendants and air traffic controllers, their message is simple: Democrats must stop sowing chaos and end the shutdown.”

The Air Line Pilots Association, the world’s largest airline pilots union, also called on lawmakers to reopen the government in early October.

“The job of keeping aviation safe is tough on an easy day, but forcing them to do it without pay compromises the safety and security of our entire system,” Jason Ambrosi, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, said in an Oct. 15 statement.

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President Donald Trump accused Senate Democrats of “holding the entire federal government hostage.” (Getty Images)

President Donald Trump on Tuesday accused Senate Democrats of “holding the entire federal government hostage” while demanding the government reopen by passing a “clean, bipartisan CR.”

“They are obstructionists,” he said. “And the reason they do it is because we’re doing so well. We’re doing well all over the world.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Tuesday that he and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., had contacted Trump to request a meeting to negotiate an end to the shutdown.

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“Hakeem and I reached out to the president today and urged him to sit down and negotiate with us to resolve the health care crisis, fix it, and end the Trump shutdown,” Schumer said. “He should sit down – things are getting worse every day for the American people. He should sit down with us, negotiate seriously before he leaves.”

Alex Miller of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.