A government shutdown at midnight on Tuesday could carry serious consequences for air travel, with airlines warning that air safety could be impacted if Congress doesn’t find a short-term solution for funding. A shutdown would slow air traffic control hiring and training and raise other issues affecting air travel. Currently, the FAA has a shortage of 3,800 air traffic controllers, and a government shutdown could only exacerbate the situation. Air traffic controllers and the Transportation Security Administration employees who perform airport security will be working without pay, which could lead to possible no shows on the job. What People Are SayingThe Modern Skies Coalition wrote in a letter: "We strongly supported Congress’s $12.5 billion downpayment toward air traffic control modernization, and we continue to advocate in support of Secretary Duffy’s acknowledgment that additional funding of at least $19 billion will be needed to completely build a new air traffic control system.