Air Traffic Controllers Threatened with Discipline & Offered Selective Bonuses During the Government Shutdown

On November 21, 2025, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) announced that air traffic controllers and technicians who maintained perfect attendance during the government shutdown would each receive $10,000 bonuses, with payments going out by December 9. 776 employees qualified, 311 of whom were controllers and 423 of whom were technicians. President Trump had suggested the bonuses in a social media post and also suggested that controllers who missed work should have their pay docked, though FAA officials did not publicly announce plans to penalize absent controllers. The bonus system was sharply criticized by Senator Duckworth, who argued that restricting the bonus to perfect-attendance employees excluded 96% of the workforce, created a dangerous incentive for controllers to report to work sick in future shutdowns, and was particularly damaging to morale at a time when the agency was dangerously understaffed.