On the 35th day of President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s shutdown of the federal government a shortage of FAA air traffic controllers is causing flights at three of the nation’s top airports to be delayed, halted, or re-routed.
“A ground stop has been ordered at LaGuardia Airport because of a staffing shortage related to sick calls, the Federal Aviation Administration said Friday,” NBC News reports.
CNN adds that flights are delayed at LaGuardia Airport in New York, Philadelphia International Airport, and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
All three airports are “major hubs,” CNN notes, which means flights across the country could be affected.
MSNBC reported Friday morning that FAA employees generally work six days a week, 10 hours a day, regardless of the shutdown. They add that some have had to take second jobs in addition to working their full-time jobs because they have not been paid in a month.