Overview
- The Department of Transportation and FAA said 776 air traffic controllers and technicians with perfect attendance during the 43‑day shutdown will receive $10,000, with payments expected by Dec. 9.
- The National Air Traffic Controllers Association said only 311 of its more than 10,000 members qualify and argued that thousands who worked without pay were excluded from the recognition.
- During the shutdown, the FAA ordered airlines to reduce flights at 40 busy airports to ease strain from staffing shortfalls, leading to thousands of cancellations and delays.
- House leaders introduced a bipartisan bill to keep FAA salaries and core operations funded during future lapses by drawing on a roughly $2.6 billion post‑9/11 flight insurance fund, with withdrawals stopping if the balance falls below $1 billion.
- Senators heard testimony detailing severe staffing gaps, trainee resignations, certification and hiring delays, widespread fatigue, and at least one controller suicide, underscoring calls for stable funding and oversight of FAA hiring and modernization.