NORTH JERSEY — Today, Friday, December 22, 2023, U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) released the following statement in response to the FAA announcement of an air traffic controller fatigue panel:

“I applaud the FAA for taking a concrete step to address air traffic controller fatigue. Any FAA funding bill we pass must include hiring the necessary number of air traffic controllers to alleviate the strain on our nation’s air traffic controllers and support the FAA in its mission to provide the safest, most efficient air traffic system in the world.

The FAA and air traffic controllers are doing everything they can with the resources they have. We need predictable FAA funding to provide our airports with the necessary resources to hire and train new controllers. That’s the only way to get more planes in the air safely and reduce the delays. 

We need to get a bipartisan deal done to fund the FAA now — no more delays, no more government shutdowns, no more extremists playing political games with the safety of the skies. We can’t keep rolling the dice on the long-term safety of air travel. Patchwork solutions will not solve our problems.”

Gottheimer’s work to address the air traffic controller shortage can be found here and here.

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