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Tag: Sean Duffy

  • Senate rejects bills to pay federal workers during government shutdown

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    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Thursday rejected dueling partisan bills to pay federal workers during the government shutdown, with both Republicans and Democrats deflecting blame as many employees are set to miss their first full paycheck at the end of this week.

    With unpaid staff and law enforcement standing nearby, Republicans objected as Democrats proposed a voice vote on their legislation to pay all federal workers and prevent President Donald Trump’s administration from mass firings. Democrats then blocked a Republican bill to pay employees who are working and not furloughed, 54-45.

    The back and forth on day 23 of the government shutdown comes as the two parties are at a protracted impasse with no signs of either side giving in. Democrats say they won’t vote to reopen the government until Republicans negotiate with them on extending expiring subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. Republicans say they won’t negotiate on the subsidies until Democrats vote to reopen the government. Trump is mostly disengaged and headed to Asia in the coming days.

    Dueling bills to pay workers

    The Republican bill by Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin would pay “excepted” workers who still have to come to work during the current government shutdown and any future shutdowns. The bill would “end this punishing federal workers for our dysfunction forever,” Johnson said.

    But Democrats say the legislation is unfair to the workers who are involuntarily furloughed and could give Cabinet secretaries too much discretion as to who gets paid.

    Johnson’s bill is “nothing more than another tool for Trump to hurt federal workers and American families and to keep this shutdown going for as long as he wants,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said ahead of the votes.

    The Democratic bills would have paid a much larger swath of workers as most federal workers are set to miss paychecks over the next week.

    “It seems like everyone in this chamber agrees we should pay federal workers,” Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., said ahead of the vote. But because of the shutdown, “they are paying a price.”

    Essential services start to dwindle

    As Congress is unable to agree on a way forward, money for essential services could soon reach a crisis point.

    Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Thursday that his message to air traffic controllers during the government shutdown is “come to work, even if you do not get a paycheck.”

    Duffy said that air traffic controllers will miss their first full paycheck on Tuesday and that some are having to make choices to pay the mortgage and other bills, at times by taking a second job.

    “I cannot guarantee you your flight is going to be on time. I cannot guarantee your flight is not going to be cancelled,” Duffy said.

    Payments for federal food and heating assistance could also run out soon, along with funding for Head Start preschool programs, several states have warned.

    Open enrollment approaches

    Another deadline approaching is Nov. 1, the beginning of open enrollment for people who use the marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act.

    Democrats are holding out for negotiations with Republicans as they seek to extend subsidies that started in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and expire at the end of the year. But any solution would be hard to put in place once people start purchasing their plans.

    Some Republicans are open to extending the tax credits, with changes, and lawmakers in both parties have been talking behind the scenes about possible compromises. But it’s unclear whether they will be able to find an agreement that satisfies both Republicans and Democrats — or if leadership on either side would be willing to budge.

    “Republicans have been perfectly clear that we’re willing to have a discussion about health care, just not while government funding is being held hostage,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Thursday.

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  • Flight Delays in the U.S. Are About to Get Much Worse

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    Roughly 6.6% of flights in the U.S. were delayed on Thursday due to absences from air traffic controllers, according to Reuters. That’s only a little worse than the average, which sits at 5%. But it’s about to get much worse, if history is any guide. Previously, that number has hit 53% in previous government shutdowns.

    Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy held a press conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Friday to raise the alarm about what the days and weeks ahead could look like at the nation’s airports. Air traffic controllers, like most government employees, aren’t getting paid right now due to the government shutdown, which started Oct. 1.

    Paychecks that went out 10 days ago included about 90% of what a typical air traffic controller is usually paid, according to Duffy, because most of that time period covered work done in September. But paychecks scheduled for this coming Tuesday are going to be $0. And that means a lot more air traffic controllers are likely to call out sick, a common thing seen during prior government shutdowns as workers are frustrated that they’re not getting paid.

    “As I’ve traveled around to talk to the controllers, there’s great frustration,” Duffy said. “There’s anxiety because as any one of you, you look at the expectation that a paycheck comes in and then you plan for that, and you pay your mortgage, you pay your car payment, you put food on the table.”

    “As these controllers come to work, they have to pay for babysitters, child care. There’s a whole host of bills that Americans have that they anticipate that paycheck is going to come in, so they can meet those bills. The stress level that our controllers are under right now, I think, is unacceptable.”

    Republicans control both the Senate and House but need Democratic votes to reopen the government, and there’s no end in sight for the shutdown. Democrats say they want Republicans to address the massive health care cuts that they imposed over the summer with the so-called Big Beautiful Bill. The bill, celebrated by President Donald Trump, was a massive handout to the wealthy, delivering what’s expected to be $114 billion in tax cuts to those making over $1 million per year in 2027 alone.

    During the press conference, Duffy repeated the lie that Democrats are trying to pay for health care for “illegal immigrants.” Democrats are trying to get funding restored for Medicaid, which includes 1.4 million legal immigrants who are losing their coverage. Health care coverage is about to become a much bigger problem for millions of Americans as rates are set for the coming year. The Washington Post published a new article on Friday that explains how average premiums for Obamacare are expected to rise 30% next year if nothing is done, meaning 17 million Americans will see their costs rise substantially. Employer-provided plans are also expected to rise.

    Republicans have refused to negotiate on the shutdown, instead pledging that if Democrats just help reopen the government, they’ll address health care later. But that’s obviously not something Democrats believe will actually happen, given the Trump regime’s history of lying about every issue, big and small.

    The U.S. already has a shortage of air traffic controllers, about 2,000 to 3,000 short, according to Duffy. And these kinds of disruptions aren’t great for recruitment and retention. People typically want to work at a place with some stability, to say nothing of just getting paid for the work that they do. Duffy has previously threatened to fire about 10% of the air traffic controllers if they call out sick.

    Duffy has said that he doesn’t want air traffic controllers to get second jobs, like driving for Uber, but for workers living paycheck-to-paycheck, that almost becomes a necessity when you’re not getting paid for the job that you’re performing for the federal government.

    The Transportation Secretary stressed that he’s not worried about safety at America’s airports because if things aren’t safe, they slow down. That’s the reason that delays happen when there aren’t enough air traffic controllers.

    “If we have controllers that are more stressed and less able to do the job, we pay close attention to that and we will reduce the capacity of airplanes taking off and landing, or we will cancel flights,” said Duffy. “And so you can and very well may see delays in the system, but that’s because our priority is you getting from point A to point B and getting there safely. I’m less concerned about you getting there on time. I want you to be safe.”

    But if the shutdown continues, and there’s been no sign that it will end anytime soon, American travelers can expect significant delays ahead.

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    Matt Novak

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  • Duffy says he doesn’t want air traffic controllers driving for Uber during shutdown

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    U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Thursday raised concerns about air traffic controllers taking on second jobs to pay their bills during the government shutdown.

    “If you have a controller that’s working six days a week, but has to think about, ‘How am I going to pay the mortgage, how am I going to make the car payment, how am I going to put food on my kids’ table,’ they have to make choices,” Duffy said at the House GOP’s press conference at the Capitol. “And the choices they are making is to take a second job.”

    Duffy’s statement came after U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson highlighted that air traffic controllers — essential government employees who are required to work without pay during the lapse in funding — are working long shifts in towers and centers, then “hopping in a car and driving for Uber or delivering for DoorDash all night.”

    The transportation secretary discouraged air traffic controllers from seeking additional employment on top of an already demanding, high-stress job. 

    “Well, I don’t want my air traffic controllers to take a second job — I want them to do one job. I don’t want them delivering for DoorDash, I don’t want them driving Uber. I want them coming to their facilities, and controlling the air space,” Duffy said, while acknowledging the financial pressures they are under to “put food on their table, feed their kids and support their family members.”

    Duffy also said he “can’t guarantee” that passengers’ flights will take off on time or that they won’t be canceled as the second-longest government shutdown in U.S. history drags on.

    Johnson said that 19,000 flights were delayed across the U.S. from Saturday to Monday, citing data from flight tracking website FlightAware. Another 1,600 flights were canceled over the same period. 

    Duffy explained that sporadic air traffic controller staffing shortages could lead to flight delays and cancellations, with the department deliberately slowing down flight traffic to ensure that passengers remain safe. 

    “It’s not moving as many flights as possible, it’s moving as many flights as possible safely,” Duffy said. “And if we can’t do that, you’ll see the flights come down. You’ll see the delays, you’ll see the cancellations.”

    Flight delays and cancellations are mounting as the U.S. enters the busy holiday travel season, with Thanksgiving and Christmas approaching.  

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  • Delta Flies Higher on the Wings of Luxury Travel

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    CEO Ed Bastian said Delta has so far been unaffected by the U.S. government shutdown. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

    Between the U.S. government shutdown and ongoing economic uncertainty, it’s a turbulent time for airlines. But not for Delta, the largest American airline by market capitalization, which has emerged from the industry’s recent challenges largely unscathed as its investment in high-end travel begins to pay off.

    Delta shares jumped more than 4 percent today (Oct. 9) after the Atlanta-headquartered airline reported better-than-expected revenue and profit for the July-September quarter. Quarterly sales reached $15.2 billion, up 4.1 percent year-over-year, while net income rose 11 percent to $1.42 billion. Strong demand for premium travel helped lift results: sales in Delta’s premium unit climbed 9 percent to $5.8 billion, even as main cabin revenue dipped 4 percent to $6 billion.

    The airline could soon earn more from premium seating than from economy for the first time. Delta had previously forecast that milestone for 2027, but it may now happen as early as next year, according to the airline’s president, Glen Hauenstein. “We see that there are many, many more opportunities in premium in the coming years,” he told analysts today.

    Some of those opportunities lie in Delta’s key markets like Los Angeles, Boston, New York and Seattle due to their concentration of a “considerable amount of premium” customers, CEO Ed Bastian said on today’s call.

    The airline is also expanding its high-end offerings by outfitting nearly 1,000 aircraft with free WiFi and deepening partnerships with American Express, Uber and YouTube. Delta has even ventured into retail through collaborations like its recent lounge set project with Spanx.

    Rebounding from the ‘spring swoon’

    Back in March, things looked less promising when Delta slashed its profit forecast amid economic concerns tied to the Trump administration’s tariffs. The company refers to that period as the “spring swoon.” Since then, Delta has rebounded and offered stronger-than-expected guidance for the fourth quarter of 2025, projecting total revenue growth between 2 and 4 percent over the next three months.

    Meanwhile, the U.S. travel industry faces headwinds from the federal government shutdown that began in early October. Flights across the country have been delayed as Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) facilities report staffing shortages. The country has also seen a “slight tick-up in sick calls” from air traffic controllers—who, like other essential workers, are expected to work without pay during the shutdown, said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy at a recent press conference.

    Delta has weathered shutdowns before. During the 35-day federal shutdown that began in 2018, the airline lost about $1 million per day in revenue, Hauenstein said. This time, the impact has been smaller, in part because Delta is less dependent on the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport—one of the hubs most affected by staffing disruptions.

    “While we are monitoring potential impacts from the U.S. government shutdown, we have not seen a material effect to date,” added Hauenstein.

    Delta Flies Higher on the Wings of Luxury Travel

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    Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

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  • Sean Duffy Says He Doesn’t Want Air Traffic Controllers Working as Uber Drivers During Shutdown

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    U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy held a press conference at Newark Airport in New Jersey on Monday to talk about the government shutdown, which is currently on its sixth day. And it was filled with misinformation about why the government has shut down and what it’s going to take to open things back up.

    If the shutdown continues, air traffic controllers won’t get their paychecks on time next week but will still be required to work, as they’re deemed essential employees. The workers have been promised that they’ll get back pay whenever the government opens again, but it’s unclear when that might happen since there’s no deal in sight.

    And Duffy is trying to blame the Democrats, even though Republicans control both the House and the Senate as well as the presidency. Duffy claims that Democrats won’t vote for the Republican bill because they want health care for undocumented immigrants.

    “Just keep the government open and funded, and we have time to continue the conversation. But to be held hostage for healthcare for illegals, I don’t think makes sense,” Duffy said.

    The claim that Democrats are fighting for health care for “illegals” isn’t true, as countless articles have pointed out. In reality, Democrats want funding restored for Medicaid that was cut by President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” back in July. About 1.4 million legal immigrants will lose their health care, according to KFF.

    Democrats are also trying to restore Affordable Care Act subsidies that were cut under the bill. Premiums are expected to rise by 100% or more for many of the 24 million Americans who buy ACA coverage, according to KFF. Employers are warning that everyone is about to pay much higher insurance premiums next year, with an average increase of about 9%, according to the New York Times.

    The reality is that Republicans have cut essential services and attempted to dictate the content of bills without any form of compromise with the Democrats, who are needed to pass legislation that requires 60 votes in the Senate. Republicans need at least 8 votes from Senate Democrats to reopen the government. And the “take it or leave it” approach isn’t working for Republicans.

    There’s also the question of whether any concessions the Democrats may be able to extract in any deal to reopen the government would be honored, since President Trump has unilaterally decided to cut things like USAID, against the wishes of Congress and long-established laws. Trump has been practicing something called impoundment, which is the theory that presidents can just not spend money that’s been allocated by Congress. A law was passed in 1974 to combat Richard Nixon’s excessive use of impoundment, and many members of the Trump regime reportedly believe Trump doesn’t need to abide by the law.

    The money that’s currently working its way through the system, in the Department of Transportation and elsewhere, is going to dry up very soon. Duffy said that funding for the Essential Air Service, a program dating back to the 1970s that provides federal funding to small and regional airports, was going to run out on Thursday, but DOT found money to keep it up through Sunday.

    The Essential Air Service program was started in order to subsidize unprofitable routes that airlines wouldn’t otherwise service, but there’s been controversy over the program over the decades. Trump has paid lip service to the program, though Republicans recently proposed slashing the Essential Air Service by $308 million, according to Bloomberg.

    The president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), the union that represents air traffic controllers, stressed that it’s not unsafe for Americans to get on a plane right now, even with all the chaos. Nick Daniels appeared on Fox News over the weekend to talk about the shutdown.

    “It is safe to fly,” Daniels said on Sunday. “The American men and women that serve as our air traffic controllers, they’re showing up to work. They’re going to do every single thing they can.”

    During the press conference on Monday, Duffy said there had been a slight uptick in air traffic controllers calling in sick and explained that he didn’t want any of them to need to find second jobs like driving for Uber. The last government shutdown, which happened in 2019 during Trump’s first term, saw more and more air traffic controllers call in sick as it dragged on an people missed paychecks. That shutdown lasted for 35 days.

    Duffy was asked by reporters about disruptions with TSA, though that agency is part of the Department of Homeland Security and not the Department of Transportation. For its part, TSA has maintained very similar talking points about the Democrats being to blame for this shutdown.

    “Beginning midnight October 1st, funding for much of the Federal Government will have expired due to the partisan politics of left-wing politicians,” TSA tweeted last week.

    “While TSA is prepared to continue screening about 2.5M passengers a day, an extended shutdown could mean longer wait times at airports. We kindly ask for our passengers’ patience during this time,” TSA wrote.

    Another complicating factor in the negotiations between Democrats and Republicans is President Trump’s continued invasion of U.S. cities with masked men who are abducting anyone who doesn’t look white enough, along with his use of the National Guard. A judge ordered Trump not to use the Oregon National Guard to deploy to Portland so he called up National Guard troops from California to do it anyway. Something similar has happened in Chicago, with Trump calling up troops from Texas.

    It doesn’t look like there will be any end to the government shutdown soon, but it’s unclear what would break up the logjam during these unprecedented times. Trump posted an AI video of himself last week tossing a “Trump 2028” hat onto Hakeem Jeffries’ head. And another one of OMB Director Russ Vought as the Grim Reaper, coming to slash jobs.

    All of which is to say that it’s hard to take the Republicans seriously as they warn about vital government jobs in one breath and joke about firing as many people as another in the next.

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    Matt Novak

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  • Jesus Painting Resurrected At Merchant Marine Academy

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    Christ has risen from the basement of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

    Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that a long-cherished painting of “Christ on the Water” has been restored and returned to its rightful place of prominence at the Academy in Kings Point, New York.

    “I want to thank Secretary Duffy for his continued support of our Academy and the midshipmen who call this place home,” said U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Acting Superintendent Captain Tony Ceraolo. “Our purpose today is to preserve a piece of the Academy’s cultural and historical legacy. We honor the past and the resilience of those who came before us. This painting is about history, remembrance, and hope ensuring that the story of our midshipmen and their wartime experiences remain part of our shared institutional memory.”

    The painting depicts Jesus guiding sailors adrift in a lifeboat – safely guiding the  through the storm waters – painted some 80 years ago by the famed painter Lt. Hunter Wood. 

    The Biden Administration removed the historic painting — saying it offended people and was unconstitutional. For years it was left abandoned in a basement room. 

    Secretary Duffy issued a statement:

    “Burying this historic painting in the basement wasn’t just a mistake—it was an insult to the faith and legacy of service that built this Academy and our nation.’ By restoring ‘Christ on the Water’ to its rightful place, we sent a clear message to our midshipmen: their Christian faith is a virtue to be proud of, not something to be censored.”  

    The Merchant Marines are no doubt elated that the Trump Administration resurrected the painting of Jesus.

    Syndicated with permission from ToddStarnes.com – founded by best-selling author and journalist Todd Starnes. Starnes is the recipient of an RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Award and the Associated Press Mark Twain Award for Storytelling.

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    Todd Starnes

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  • How much federal money could MBTA lose following White House’s threat?

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    The clock is ticking for the MBTA to respond to the Trump administration after it threatened to pull federal transportation funds over safety concerns.

    The letter sent by U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy last Thursday requested written safety reports within the next two weeks.

    It called out transit systems in Boston and Chicago – two cities the department said allow cashless bail, “which allows deranged criminals to repeatedly terrorize public spaces.”

    The federal government is now asking for information about actions being taken to deter crime, stop fare evasion, and provide a clean environment for riders.

    Their request also asks for a summary of all sources of funds received for fiscal years 2025 and 2026 relating to safety and security.

    “I do think this is messaging that’s designed to feed into an anti-city, anti-transit narrative,” said Jim Aloisi, former Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation.

    Aloisi pointed out that the day-to-day operations on the T are not funded at all by the federal government.

    The T does receive federal funds to support capital projects, including station upgrades and service expansions.

    The MBTA’s itemized budgets show that MBTA received about $10.2 million in fiscal year 2023, $31.3 million in fiscal year 2024 and has $191 million coming in fiscal year 2025.

    “What the federal government is threatening to do by withholding capital money is hurt everyday people who rely on the T,” said Aloisi.

    U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that if the agency does not respond within two weeks, it could face federal dollars being withheld.

    The letter did not cite specific statistics surrounding crime on the T but did mention crime concerns at South Station and two recent incidents involving passengers allegedly attacked or shoved on MBTA buses.

    “I think safety is a concern,” said MBTA rider Judy Stitt.

    MBTA riders Boston 25 News spoke with shared different opinions about safety concerns on the MBTA.

    “I go to South Station. I go to Quincy. I feel safe because nobody bothers me,” said another commuter named Judy.

    Boston 25 News reached out to the MBTA Tuesday afternoon to ask if it’s responded yet to the federal government’s request.

    We’re still waiting to hear back, but MBTA General Manager Phil Eng said last week he will cooperate with the federal government’s request for more information.

    MBTA Transit Police Superintendent Richard Sullivan said last month that serious crime rates at South Station are extremely low and that crime reports are down 16% compared to last year.

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  • Transportation secretary questions costs, contracting on Key Bridge replacement project – WTOP News

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    In a letter to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy expressed concerns over the projected $1.8 billion replacement cost of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge.

    In a letter to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy expressed concerns over the projected $1.8 billion replacement cost of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge.

    He also voiced concerns over “whether Maryland intends to award contracts” for the bridge replacement “in a manner that relies on the race or sex of contractors.”

    Any reliance on factors including race or sex when determining how to award contracts, wrote Duffy, “could introduce significant legal vulnerabilities and inefficiencies” in managing the project. Duffy said DOT has asked a federal court to declare the “presumption” of disadvantage based on race or sex be declared unconstitutional.

    In his response to the letter, Moore issued a statement focusing on Maryland’s ongoing efforts to replace the Key Bridge, writing “we have worked expeditiously to promote full restoration of the bridge as a critical asset to our nation’s economy.”

    “We will continue to work with the Trump Administration to find ways to reduce costs and rebuild faster,” Moore wrote.

    The governor also stated that replacing the bridge is important not only to Baltimore and Maryland, but to the rest of the country. Noting that 13% of the state’s economy is tied to operations at the Port of Baltimore, he wrote, “the goods that flow through the Port don’t just touch Marylanders — they reach the farmer in Kentucky, the auto worker in Michigan and the restaurant owner in Tennessee.”

    The exchange comes following sparring between President Donald Trump and Moore over crime in Baltimore. At one point, Trump wrote on social media, “I gave Wes Moore a lot of money to fix his demolished bridge,” and continued that he might “have to rethink that decision???”

    Members of Maryland’s Congressional delegation — including senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks — issued a statement following the release of Duffy’s letter noting that after the Key Bridge collapse, “The federal government’s commitment to fund the rebuild is enacted into law,” and called delivering on the bridge replacement a “national priority.”

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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Kate Ryan

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  • Trump Clears the Way for a Dystopian Air Taxi Future

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    Donald Trump, who was backed by a bunch of tech billionaires during this past presidential election, is busy transforming America into a corporate dystopia straight out of the 1980s science fiction films that those billionaires have long admired for all the wrong reasons. For one thing, Trump has fully embraced AI—helping to cut what little regulation existed under the Biden administration, in an effort to further liberate the already blossoming and disruptive new industry. He also recently paved the way for more self-driving cars on America’s roadways. Now, Trump is turning his attention to Air Taxis.

    On Friday, former Road Rules contestant and Trump’s Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy, unveiled a plan to “Fast-Track Advanced Air Mobility Vehicles.” That plan involves a pilot program, dubbed the Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program (eIPP), which will consist of a public-private partnership involving the government and an unknown number of aviation companies. The program will involve “at least five” projects, and will take place over the course of three years. The government also says that state and local governments will be asked to work together with participating companies to come up with new regulatory frameworks to accommodate the new vehicles.  

    What sort of needs will these experimental new vehicles serve? The government lists short-range air taxi flights, “longer-range, fixed wing flights,” and flights based around cargo transportation, logistics, and supply serving emergency management, as well as medical transport or offshore energy assistance.

    Trump helped the program get off the ground with an executive order passed in June, dubbed Unleashing American Drone Dominance, which was designed to “accelerate the safe commercialization of drone technologies and fully integrate UAS into the National Airspace System.” The EO, while also bolstering drone production, establishes the eVTOL Integration Pilot Program in an effort to “accelerate the deployment of safe and lawful eVTOL operations in the United States.”

    “The next great technological revolution in aviation is here. The United States will lead the way, and doing so will cement America’s status as a global leader in transportation innovation,” said Duffy on Friday. “That means more high-paying manufacturing jobs and economic opportunity. By safely testing the deployment of these futuristic air taxis and other AAM vehicles, we can fundamentally improve how the traveling public and products move.”

    Despite the dream of “flying cars” (something the tech industry has been promising for many, many years), the term is basically marketing-speak for new kinds of hybrid aerial vehicles. Silicon Valley has long sought to create a market for these vehicles, but they need to be proven safe and effective according to federal standards first. Well, you’d think that, anyway. The New York Times reports that the new program will “test limited operations of electric air taxis before they are formally certified by the Federal Aviation Administration,” a concerning development that is nevertheless par for the course for the Trump administration—which always seems to prize “innovation” and business concerns over any regulatory good (you know, like making sure a vehicle is safe before it flies over your house).

    It’s unclear what the state and local regulatory frameworks for these pilot programs will look like, or if they’ll happen at all, but, you know, hopefully they are strict enough to save us from any unfortunate incidents.

    Companies are already champing at the bit to get involved. On the same day as the DOT’s announcement, a firm called Archer Aviation announced that it would be “aiming to participate in the White House’s newly established eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP).” The company, which operates a futuristic aerial vehicle, said that it was looking to collaborate with major airlines. “Archer is now exploring pathways to work together with U.S. airlines, including United Airlines, and interested cities under the new program to design and execute trial operations of Archer’s Midnight aircraft as part of the eIPP,” the press release says. “The trials are expected to focus on demonstrating that eVTOL operations are safe, quiet and scalable,” the company added.

    Gizmodo reached out to the Trump administration to ask if it had decided on which companies would participate. We will update this post if we hear back.

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    Lucas Ropek

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  • Sean Duffy confident in SpaceX as NASA’s choice for lunar return amid skepticism

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    As the U.S. looks to outpace China in a new space race to the moon, critics warn SpaceX’s complex Starship plan may be too risky. Mark Strassmann reports.

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  • Travelers no longer have to remove their shoes during security screenings at US airports

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    Travelers racing to catch a flight at U.S. airports no longer are required to remove their shoes during security screenings, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Tuesday.

    Noem said the end of the ritual put in place almost 20 years ago was immediately effective nationwide. She said a pilot program showed the Transportation Security Administration had the equipment needed to keep airports and aircraft safe while allowing people to keep their shoes on.

    In this Aug. 3, 2011 photo, an experienced airline passenger holds his shoes and has an unloosened belt while waiting to go through the Transportation Security Administration security checkpoint at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Erik S. Lesser, File)

    “I think most Americans will be very excited to see they will be able to keep their shoes on, and it will be a much more streamlined process,” Noem said.

    While shoe removal no longer is standard procedure at airport security checkpoints, some travelers still may be asked to take off their footwear “if we think additional layers of screening are necessary,” she added.

    The travel newsletter Gate Access first reported that the TSA planned to make the security screening change soon.

    Security screening sans shoes became a requirement in 2006, several years after “shoe bomber” Richard Reid’s failed attempt to take down a flight from Paris to Miami in late 2001.

    In this Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2007, file photo, a belt and shoes sit in a trays with advertising that is being used in the safety screening of travelers done by the Transportation Security Administration, at the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ann Johansson, File)

    In this Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2007, file photo, a belt and shoes sit in a trays with advertising that is being used in the safety screening of travelers done by the Transportation Security Administration, at the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ann Johansson, File)

    All passengers between the ages of 12 and 75 were required to remove their shoes, which were scanned along with carry-on bags and other separated items such as outerwear.

    Travelers previously were able to skirt the requirement if they participated in the TSA PreCheck program, which costs around $80 for five years. The program allows airline passengers to get through the screening process without taking off their shoes, belts or light jackets, and without having to take their laptops and bagged toiletries out.

    PreCheck will remain the easier option for the time being since people going through regular screening stations still will have to put items besides shoes on a conveyor belt for scanning, Noem said.

    TSA plans to review other rules and procedures to see how airport screenings can be simplified and expedited, she said. The agency is testing separate lanes for military personnel and families with young children, and expects to pilot other changes in the next six to eight months, Noem said.

    In recent years, federal authorities have explored facial recognition technology and implemented Real ID requirements as a way to verify the identities of passengers.

    A Transportation Security Administration agent signals for the next airline passenger in line at a security checkpoint in Chicago's O'Hare International Airport Friday, May 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)

    A Transportation Security Administration agent signals for the next airline passenger in line at a security checkpoint in Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport Friday, May 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)

    The Transportation Security Administration began in 2001 when President George W. Bush signed legislation for its creation two months after the 9/11 attacks. TSA hired federal employees as agents to replace the workers for private companies that airlines had used to handle security.

    Although regular air travelers are familiar with the intricacies of going through airport security, long lines during busy times and bags getting pulled aside for infractions such as forgotten water bottles can make the process fraught.

    President Donald Trump’s transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, asked the public in an April social media post what would make travel more seamless. The following day, Duffy posted on X that, “It’s clear that TSA is the #1 travel complaint. That falls under the Department of Homeland Security. I’ll discuss this with @Sec_Noem.”

    Trump fired TSA Administrator David Pekoske in January in the middle of a second five-year term. Trump had appointed Pekoske during his first term in the White House, and President Joe Biden reappointed him.

    No reason was given for Pekoske’s departure. The administrator position remains vacant, according to the TSA website.

    ___

    Lisa Leff contributed from Sonoma, California.

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