Air traffic controllers have been working without pay for weeks because of the government shutdown, and their union has warned in recent weeks that there could be a breaking point because of this weeks missed paychecks. | Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images Government Shutdown Union to Congress as shutdown snarls East Coast flights: ‘Do we have your attention now?’

Airports on the East Coast were hit with increasing delays Friday morning as the grinding impacts of the federal government shutdown began to slow air traffic — fulfilling weeks of dire warnings from aviation workers.

"Do we have your attention now, Leader McConnell? All lawmakers?" said Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, as the delays spread across airports in Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York and Atlanta. "Open the government and then get back to the business of democracy to discuss whatever issue you so choose. This shutdown must end immediately."


The cascading delays took place just hours before President Donald Trump announced a temporary resolution: The government is now expected to reopen and employees will be given back pay, though the deal only runs for the next three weeks.

Departures from Philadelphia and Newark were delayed by more than an hour and traffic was significantly slowed at LaGuardia in New York due to controllers calling out sick at a large Federal Aviation Administration facility outside Washington, D.C., that handles air traffic for most of the region. In Atlanta, staffing at an FAA facility in Florida forced delays as well.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association issued a statement on Twitter that was quickly deleted, saying, in essence: We told you so.

"In the past few weeks, we have warned about what could happen as a result of the prolonged shutdown. Many controllers have reached the breaking point of exhaustion, stress, and worry caused by this shutdown," said NATCA President Paul Rinaldi. "Each hour that goes by that the shutdown continues makes the situation worse."

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Rinaldi also noted the union doesn't condone federal employees "participating in or endorsing a coordinated activity that negatively affects" the aviation system.

The FAA said it has “experienced a slight increase in sick leave” at its Washington and Jacksonville, Fla.,air traffic control centers.

“As with severe storms, we will adjust operations to a safe rate to match available controller resources,” according to an agency statement. “We’ve mitigated the impact by augmenting staffing, rerouting traffic, and increasing spacing between aircraft as needed. The results have been minimal impacts to efficiency while maintaining consistent levels of safety in the national airspace system.”

Delta Air Lines said it had about 200 delays at LaGuardia and other Northeast airports Friday morning. United Airlines said it didn’t expect “significant schedule disruptions” and American Airlines hadn’t seen “significant impacts” either, but both carriers called for the government to reopen.

Air traffic controllers have been working without pay for weeks because of the government shutdown, and their union has warned in recent weeks that there could be a breaking point because of this week's missed paychecks.

Inside the Beltway, the point from which all the damage is being inflicted, congressional Democrats pounced on news of flight delays, though it's not yet clear whether the delays will translate into enough additional pressure to force a resolution. Trump has signaled he will make an announcement about the shutdown this afternoon.

In a statement, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), chairman of the House Transportation Committee, called the shutdown "absurd."

"Enough is enough. End this stupid, senseless shutdown, now," he said.

"The #TrumpShutdown has already pushed hundreds of thousands of Americans to the breaking point. Now it's pushing our airspace to the breaking point too," tweeted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) followed suit, saying in a statement that it's "not a game and has real-world consequences to our economy and the well-being of millions of Americans."

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said the shutdown's effects are "becoming more worrisome for the safety of the nation by the day." He added: "Our homeland security personnel have been showing remarkable strength during this uncertain time, but I am afraid even the slightest additional stressor could call the resilience of our system into doubt. Donald Trump's running a government like this defies logic and common sense."

"The president has been briefed and we are monitoring the ongoing delays at some airports," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. "We are in regular contact with officials at the Department of Transportation and the FAA."

Dana Rubinstein contributed to this report.

