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US air traffic controllers are more and more looking for additional employment and reporting ill, as they remain on duty without pay during the federal closure, the transportation secretary has announced.

"These professionals are wearing thin," Sean Duffy informed Fox News on Sunday, as certain aircraft were halted on the Californian coast due to staffing shortages.

After the government shut down on October 1st, flight controllers, who are considered essential workers, were told to continue performing their jobs without pay.

But some have been absent, causing airports to halt or reduce their plane traffic, which has exacerbated setbacks due to climate and other issues.

Over 3,000 US flights were postponed on Sunday, and Duffy stated he anticipates the circumstances to deteriorate further.

"I observe the stress," Duffy said in an discussion on Sunday Morning Futures, noting that he had met with multiple professionals to listen to their worries directly.

"They're taking side jobs, they're out there looking, 'Should I drive Uber, am I able to secure another source of earnings to cover expenses?'" he continued.

Duffy further mentioned that on the previous day 22 alerts at airfields said travel would be held up due to a shortage of employees - one of the highest since the closure began.

The US government shutdown reached its 26th day on the weekend, making it the second most extended shutdown in the past.

Duffy has repeatedly warned that aviation regulators would reduce the quantity of aircraft in the air if there is a shortage of safety personnel.

In his conversation, he declined to respond directly when asked if it was safe to fly in the United States, and instead made a direct appeal to the professionals.

"I need my controllers focused on the flight paths, not on the finances at home," the official said.

On that day, some planes were grounded at Los Angeles International Airport due to employee deficits, causing disruption at the fifth most active airport in the nation and among the most crowded in the world, as well as other flights extending north to the city of Oakland, California.

The Federal Aviation Administration alert went out at 8:45 AM local time on the weekend. Many flights were operating normally by midday.

Flights at Newark Airport, though, were delayed an mean of 82 minutes due to personnel issues, and the FAA said Dallas Fort-Worth, the second-busiest airport in the US, could experience difficulties from reduced staff later in the day.

The FAA warned passengers in the state to consult carriers about updated flight schedules.

The situation comes ahead of Game 3 of the championship, which is scheduled in LA on Monday night, and approximately four weeks prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, among the peak periods to fly in the US.

Strain on American aviation helped end a federal closure in two thousand nineteen. At the time, the shutdown had entered its fifth week and disrupted airline operations, including aviator instruction.

It prompted several flight controllers to remain absent on the same day on 25 January 2019, briefly halting movement at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

That same day, the former president, who at the period was in his initial presidency as president, consented to approve a temporary funding measure, bringing an end to the government shutdown after thirty-five days.