Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned Monday that the ongoing federal government shutdown is placing severe pressure on air traffic controllers, who—despite being deemed “essential”—are being forced to continue working without pay.  He noted an uptick in sick‐call absences and cautioned that, should conditions worsen, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) might have to slow or limit departures and arrivals to prevent controller overload.  Duffy also expressed concern over the training pipeline: while the FAA’s controller academy in Oklahoma City remains open under prior funding, support staff for post‑academy training face imminent layoffs.  Furthermore, he flagged that the Essential Air Service program—crucial for maintaining flights to rural and remote communities—could exhaust funding as early as Sunday, jeopardizing connectivity for small towns nationwide. The Transportation Department and air traffic unions are calling on Congress to resolve the funding impasse quickly to restore normal operations and ease the burden on safety personnel.