Letting them know he means business, President Trump ordered all air traffic controllers to return to work or they will be “substantially docked.”
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In a Truth Social post, Trump declared he was “not happy” with those who complained or took time off during the government shutdown.
“I will be recommending a BONUS of $10,000 per person for distinguished service to our Country,” Trump said about air traffic controllers who continued to work during the US government shutdown. “For those that did nothing but complain, and took time off, even though everyone knew they would be paid in FULL, shortly into the future, I am NOT HAPPY WITH YOU.”
The president then accused those who didn’t continue working of not helping the country amid the shutdown. He even refers to the closure as the “Democrat Shutdown Hoax.”
“You will have a negative mark, at least in my mind, against your record,” he continued. “If you want to leave service in the near future, please do not hesitate to do so, with NO payment or severance of any kind! You will be quickly replaced by true Patriots, who will do a better job on the Brand new State of the Art Equipment, the best in the world, that we are in the process of ordering.”
Trump then accused the Biden Administration of wasting billions of dollars to fix the current equipment, which he called “junk.”
“They had no idea what they were doing!” he declared. “Again, to our great American Patriots, GOD BLESS YOU – I won’t be able to send your money fast enough!”
Trump then added, “To all Hours, REPORT TO WORK IMMEDIATELY. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”
Air Traffic Controllers’ Union Speaks Out After President Trump’s Remarks
In a press conference on Monday, National Air Traffic Controllers Association president Nick Daniels stated the six-week work without pay took a toll on the union’s members.
Daniels warned that the situation could have posed a danger to the flying public.
“Now [air traffic controllers] must focus on child care instead of traffic flows,” he said. “Food for their families instead of runway separation. This is not politics. This is not ideology.”
Daniels then said, “This is the erosion of the safety margin the flying public never sees, but America relies on every single day. When the most disciplined safety workforce in America is forced to think about survival instead of public safety. This is the cost.”
He stated air traffic controllers are “not a political pawn” nor should “be used as a rope in this game.”
“For a workforce that has to go in and be one hundred percent [for] one hundred percent of the time, there is no world where it just operates the same,” he added. “And smoothly when people aren’t receiving pay.”
The press conference occurred hours after a group of Democratic senators broke ranks to pass a deal to reopen the government. This vote ensured back pay for all federal workers who haven’t received a paycheck since Oct. 1. It further reversed the reductions the Trump administration imposed during the shutdown.