President Nick Daniels of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association warned Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the Democratic Party that the ongoing government shutdown is posing serious safety risks in U.S. airspace.
The NATCA, which represents more than 10,800 certified air traffic controllers nationwide, has repeatedly called on Congress to pass a clean continuing resolution (CR) to end the shutdown — now on track to become the longest in American history.
The House approved a clean CR a month ago, but Democrats have blocked it more than a dozen times, insisting on tying the measure to their partisan legislative demands.
Daniels emphasized that air traffic controllers are unfairly shouldering the weight of the shutdown, with thousands now working exhausting six-day, 10-hour shifts amid an existing shortage of 3,800 personnel.
As essential workers, controllers are required to remain on the job, yet many are facing severe financial strain. They received partial paychecks for pre-shutdown work on October 14, followed by $0 paychecks on October 28 and in the pay periods since — leaving many with more than 120 hours of unpaid labor.
“Yet here we are, the rope in the tug of war game that we didn’t ask for at all. And we should not be used as political pawns in any way, shape or form for these shutdowns,” Daniels noted further.
Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman once again broke with many in his party to defend President Donald Trump against allegations that he’s an “autocrat” while ripping those who compare him to Adolph Hitler and other “outlandish” figures.
Fetterman’s defense of the president comes on the heels of the assassination last week of conservative influencer and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, whom the left has often referred to in similar terms.
“I — if you actually compare him to an actual autocrat, that is not — that is not just that,” Fetterman said in a discussion with CNN’s chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju, who had suggested that Trump was autocratic.
“Now, last night, for example, people were complaining, you know, they’re protesting about, ‘Oh, that’s Hitler, Hitler.’ I think you just don’t ever, ever compare anyone to Hitler and those kinds of extreme things,” he continued.
“Now look what happened to Charlie Kirk. I mean, the man was shot. Now, we have to turn the temperature down. It’s like, we can’t compare people to these kinds of figures in history,” he said.
Speaking of Trump, Fetterman — who was hosted by the president at his Mar-a-Lago estate before he was sworn in – added: “And this is not an autocrat. This is a product of a democratic election. It’s like, I participated in that. It was safe and it was secure. We lost, and the America…people put us in the minority, and now that’s — that’s democracy. And I revere democracy. I may not like the outcome, but I have to respect that and I have to find and work through this. And I do believe that’s what’s appropriate.”
Unsatisfied, Raju pressed, “So you don’t think that Trump is at all shattering any of the norms of democracy in any way?”“I’m saying he’s definitely different, but that’s what America voted for. Again. I don’t agree with many of these things, but that does not make him an autocrat,” Fetterman continued. “That does not make someone or, you know, compare him to people like Hitler and these other outlandish things.”
Meanwhile, federal investigators have confirmed that Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old accused of assassinating Kirk, was living with his transgender partner in St. George, Utah, at the time of the killing, according to senior-level FBI officials who spoke to Fox News Digital.
Officials described Robinson’s partner, identified in public records as 22-year-old Lance Twiggs, as being in a “romantic relationship” with the suspect and said the two shared an apartment near Robinson’s parents’ home in southern Utah.
The FBI said Twiggs has been “extremely cooperative” with investigators and is not accused of any criminal activity in connection with the assassination. Computers and other evidence were collected from the residence and sent to Quantico for forensic review, Fox News reported.
One FBI official told the outlet that Twiggs “had no idea” Robinson was allegedly planning to kill Kirk. The individual is not facing charges, but authorities emphasized that “every connection, every group, every link will be investigated and anyone involved in this matter, anywhere in the world they might be, will be brought to justice.”
According to a law enforcement source, Robinson’s father recognized his son in surveillance footage that FBI Director Kash Patel had ordered released during the 33-hour manhunt.
After conferring with a family minister, Robinson’s father turned him in. The source said Robinson expressed suicidal thoughts when he arrived home, telling relatives he wanted to kill himself.