U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran contends government closure ‘slowly crushing our aviation system’
by Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector
October 10, 2025
TOPEKA — U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran sounded an alarm that the ongoing federal government shutdown threatened to break the nation’s “fragile” aviation system.
Moran, a Kansas Republican who chairs the Senate’s subcommittee on aviation, space and innovation, made reference to the Jan. 29 crash of a commercial jet from Wichita that collided with a military helicopter in crowded airspace above Washington, D.C.
“Our system is too fragile, and the stakes are too high, for us to continue operating the national aviation system in the manner we are doing so,” Moran said. “We will reach a breaking point, and this could result in the closing of our airspace or portions of it.”
He said he never found value in government shutdowns and urged Senate Democrats to collaborate with Republicans to pass a short-term budget resolution so people could return to their jobs and government work could resume.
The budget impasse prompting closure of nonessential elements of the government reached its 10th day on Friday.
There has been concern that continuation of the political dispute could undermine operation of U.S. airports. Air traffic controllers and TSA officers are considered essential employees and required to work during this period without timely paychecks. The existing national shortage of air traffic controllers, exacerbated by illness of personnel during the shutdown, has been responsible for an increase in flight delays.
“Every day we remain in a shutdown, the air traffic controller shortage gets worse and the strain on the aviation system intensifies,” the senator said in a Senate floor speech. “I hope that this dysfunction we are undergoing … stops before we see dramatic and damaging consequences.”
The U.S. House passed a resolution to keep the government open, but the U.S. Senate hasn’t found the votes to mirror that step.
Moran said failure to “pass a continuing resolution is slowly crushing our aviation system.”
In January, American Airlines Flight 5342 and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided mid-air over the Potomac River. The incident near the Reagan National Airport killed 67 people aboard both aircraft, including 64 passengers and crew on the airliner. The jet had departed from Eisenhower National Airport in Wichita.
“We should be doing everything we can to make certain that our air traffic system and the necessary components are in place to make sure that the traveling public has a safe and secure flight when they board a plane in the United States,” he said. “That work is significantly hindered without an open and functioning government.”
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