House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries deflected blame Friday as flight operations at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport came to a standstill amid a shortage of air traffic controllers.

Flights across New York City are already being disrupted, with the Federal Aviation Administration imposing traffic restrictions and a ground stop at JFK through Friday evening as staffing shortages and high winds compound the effects of the ongoing shutdown. Appearing on “The Arena,” the host asked Jeffries about mounting concerns over staffing shortages at air traffic control centers and the potential safety risks facing travelers in his home state. Jeffries instead turned the conversation toward President Donald Trump.

“Well, I’m very concerned with all of the harmful effects of the shutdown, the fact that our air traffic controllers, many hard workers and federal employees, TSA agents are being asked to work without pay. This is the reason why Donald Trump needs to get serious about sitting down and finding a path toward a bipartisan agreement,” Jeffries said.

Jeffries went on to call the budget impasse the “Trump Republican shutdown.”

“Donald Trump has spent more time on the golf course than he has talking with Democrats who represent half the country. He spent more time talking to Hamas over the last 31 days than he has with Democrats, who represent half the country” Jeffries said. “He spent more time talking to the Chinese Communist Party than he has talking with Democrats as part of an effort to reopen the government to enact a spending agreement that meets the needs of the American people and that addresses the Republican health care crisis that is hurting working class Americans.”

Flights are already starting to get disrupted across the country, with Newark Liberty International Airport forced to issue a 75-minute ground stop Wednesday due to staffing shortages from the federal shutdown. About 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers missed their first full paychecks Tuesday, further straining the already understaffed FAA, which has struggled with shortages for decades and worsened after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Senate Democrats voted 13 times to block a GOP-backed bipartisan measure to reopen the government, even as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the FAA is short 3,000 employees and said controllers are “wearing thin.” (RELATED: Hakeem Jeffries Finally Bends The Knee To Socialist Zohran Mamdani Ahead Of Early Voting)

“Just yesterday we had 22 staffing triggers. That’s one of the highest that we’ve seen in the system since the shutdown began, and that’s a sign that the controllers are wearing thin. And again, they’re taking second jobs. They’re out there looking. ‘Can I drive Uber? Can I find another source of income?” Duffy said on Fox News Sunday.

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