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Some airports won’t broadcast Noem’s message blaming Dems for the shutdown

The wave of pushback from airports across the country comes as the Trump administration continues to admonish Democrats for failing to support a GOP-led resolution that would pull the government from its ongoing shutdown. In the clip — meant to be played by airport security lines — Noem tells passengers they may face travel delays because “Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government.”“Because of this, many of our operations are impacted, and most of our TSA employees are working...

Duffy hints at firing air traffic controller ‘problem children’ amid continuing delays

A spokesperson for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association union told POLITICO in a statement that “there are processes and procedures in place to deal with the inappropriate use of sick leave.” NATCA has encouraged its workforce to continue showing up despite not being paid.Duffy’s comments come amid a daily drumbeat of staffing-related delays that have cropped up at airports across the country since Monday, so far at airports in Chicago, Nashville, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., and Bu...

Flight delays could force parties to the shutdown bargaining table

And it’s now getting the attention of the controllers’ boss, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who gave them a warning Wednesday in an appearance on Fox News: “My message to the air traffic controllers who work for DOT is show up for work. You have a job to do.”Congress and the executive branch have been in a similar position before: The 35-day shutdown that marked President Donald Trump’s first term finally ended after some controllers along the East Coast called out sick, forcing cascading...

DOT official brushes off concerns about RIFs dissuading air traffic controller hiring

Air traffic controllers were not subject to prior layoffs of probationary employees at DOT and were exempt from participating in the “deferred resignation program.”During a shutdown, air traffic controllers aren’t subject to furlough, but they do work without pay. After the shutdown ends, controllers receive back pay. Bradbury mostly dodged questions about whether DOT plans to conduct layoffs during a shutdown, saying that the agency is working with the White House’s budget office on “all of the...

Baltimore bridge rebuild could exceed $5B

A spokesperson for DOT did not respond to a request for comment. The Maryland Transportation Authority did not respond to a request for comment. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Moore’s office did not respond to a request for comment. But at the time of Trump’s posting, Moore responded that Maryland officials “worked across the aisle to secure funding to rebuild this iconic bridge, an action that is written into law because of the leaders who put politics aside to make B...

Trump has fired a Democrat on a federal railroad board. He's the latest to refuse to leave his post.

“I plan to continue to discharge my duties as a member of the Board and, if I’m prevented from doing so, I will explore my legal options,” Primus wrote. He also defended his record on the board, where he’s served since Trump appointed him in 2020. It’s the latest example of personnel unrest and tension throughout the Trump administration, which is managing blowback from the recent firings of Federal Reserve Board Gov. Lisa Cook and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monare...

DOT secretary says agency will ‘take over’ Washington’s Union Station, building it already owns

Duffy said he believes DOT’s takeover will increase the station’s income and entice more development and investments in the building as a result. In its reasoning for the change, DOT said it expects “improved security” will also play a role in drawing in more private investors for a “potential expansion of the station.”Union Station is owned by the Federal Railroad Administration, a subagency of DOT. For many years, the station’s retail concessions were leased to a private company. Last year, Am...
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