Schumer Pressures Congress to Act on FAA Furloughs

Sen. Charles Schumer is pressuring Congress to act immediately to end the air traffic controller furloughs that went into effect Sunday.

FAA officials say the furloughs are necessary to cut $637 million from the agency's budget as required by the automatic, across-the-board spending cuts, which were approved by Congress in March.

Under the plan, all FAA employees will lose one day of paid work every other week.

The furloughs are expected to cause delays at New York-area airports and nationwide. The move affects nearly 15,000 air traffic controllers which amounts to a 10 percent reduction in staff hours.

“These furloughs will turn everyday into a blizzard as far as flying is concerned,” said Schumer.  “These delays can and must be avoided by passing a balanced plan to repeal the sequester through both closing tax loopholes and by making smart cuts."

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