Flight delays and cancellations are surging around the country as a result of staff shortages in airports as the government shutdown stretches on, causing thousands of air traffic controllers to work without pay.

Roughly 11,000 air traffic controllers missed paychecks amounting to two weeks of compensation on Tuesday, marking the first time they’ve gone entirely unpaid since the shutdown began on Oct. 1. Controllers, who have been deemed essential employees during the shutdown, are required to continue working even without wages.

“Many of our controllers can make it without this first paycheck. They’ve been in the job 10, 15, 20 years; they’ve planned for days like this,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at a news conference at LaGuardia Airport on Tuesday. He acknowledged, how

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