The House member’s unusual support for a flight reduction order underscores how the government shutdown is now disrupting travel and frontline aviation workers. Officials ordered cuts at the busiest airports to preserve safety as air traffic staff face furloughs and unpaid work. Lawmakers remain deadlocked over funding, with fights over policy riders keeping a full resolution out of reach.
Rep. Greg Stanton broke ranks by backing the administration’s step to cut air traffic and he made the safety case plain. “Safety must always be the highest priority” is how he framed his position, signaling concern for travelers and crews alike. That kind of language matters when controllers and screeners are stretched thin and morale is slipping.
Stanton took to X to expand on his view and to press for a bipartisan fix from both parties. “The decision by Secretary Duffy to reduce flights at America’s 40 busiest airports is the right call for the safety of the flying public,” Stanton wrote on X. “Now it’s critical that Republicans and Democrats get together and reach a bipartisan agreement on a plan to reduce health costs and end the shutdown.”
The FAA and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy authorized an initial 4 percent reduction in flights at 40 high-traffic airports, with a planned escalation to 10 percent if the shutdown continues. The agency said the step was necessary to keep the National Airspace System operating within safe limits as staffing and operational pressure increase. For travelers and airlines, even modest reductions can ripple into longer delays, cancellations, and logistics headaches.
Phoenix Sky Harbor is among the airports affected, and that hit lands squarely in Stanton’s district. The measure directly touches communities in and around Phoenix, including parts of Tempe and Mesa, where airport operations are a major part of the local economy. When service levels are trimmed, counties and businesses feel the impact right away.
The longer the shutdown drags on, the harder it gets for the people who run airports and airspace. Thousands of federal workers have been furloughed while others labeled essential keep reporting to work without pay, a strain that pushes some to pick up second jobs or call out sick. That reality was part of the FAA’s rationale for the emergency order, describing the move as a buffer to ensure safety when staffing is unreliable.
On Capitol Hill the standoff remains political and personal, with Democrats pushing for policy priorities to be attached to funding and Republicans resisting riders. GOP leaders have been clear that a clean funding bill is their priority, arguing that policy fights should not be used to hold up basic government functions. That divide is why bipartisan deals have so far been elusive even as the shutdown ticks into another week.
Friday marked the 38th day of the shutdown and senators were still searching for an off-ramp that could clear the gridlock. Even as lawmakers haggle over provisions like health subsidy extensions, airport safety officials are taking concrete steps to manage risk. The contrast between political bargaining and operational decisions on the ground is stark and frustrating for travelers and workers alike.
Stanton reiterated his closing point in public remarks, underlining a message aimed at both colleagues and constituents. “Arizona deserves better, and so do the hardworking professionals who keep our skies safe,” he said, voicing a demand for practical solutions instead of partisan standoffs. For Republicans who emphasize restoring normal operations quickly and opposing policy riders as a condition for reopening government, the immediate focus is clear: secure funding, restore staffing, and get flights back to normal.
