Senate Democrats have stuck with their plans to keep the Schumer Shutdown going as we enter the 23rd day. But now congressional Republicans could be getting some much-needed help in this fight from pilots.
During a White House Press briefing on Thursday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that several pilot associations have issued statements calling for the shutdown to end, especially with the busy holiday travel season right around the corner.
🚨✈️AIRLINES — ATTACK!
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 23, 2025
PILOTS are calling on Democrats to end the shutdown:
“Our air traffic controllers & the broader air traffic system are already operating under immense pressure. A government shutdown only compounds that stress, & threatens the efficiency of our skies." pic.twitter.com/f9XcqyYxiM
In other words, the pressure on Senate Democrats to end this is intensifying.
MORE: Republicans Excoriate Schumer After He Makes Damning Admission About His Shutdown
"Some of them [air traffic controllers] are reportedly being forced to turn to driving for Uber and taking on other second jobs to make ends meet, as the Democrats continue to shut down the government," Leavitt said. "Pilots are calling on Democrats to end this dangerous political game."
"The President of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association [Jody Reven] called for the clean continuing resolution to be passed," she added. "Saying 'our air traffic controllers and the broader air traffic system are already operating under immense pressure. A government shutdown only compounds that stress and threatens the efficiency of our skies.'"
"The Airline Pilots Association International, which represents more than 80,000 pilots, is sounding the alarm as well," Leavitt continued. "They said this shutdown is undermining our safety. Resources are stretched thin, negotiations are delayed, and strain goes daily."
It is not much different from a statement the ALPA sent out earlier this month, calling for Congress to reopen the government.
"The job of keeping aviation safe and secure is tough on an easy day, but forcing them to do it without pay undermines the safety and security of our entire system," Jason Ambrosi, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, said in a statement to Fox News. "We are at a critical moment in aviation safety, and we need our leaders to be focused on the necessary infrastructure and staffing improvements."
SEE: Trump Says Democrats Made 'One Mistake' With Schumer Shutdown - and Chuck's at the 'End of the Line'
ALSO: New: Trump Tells Democrats to Pound Sand Over Their Government Shutdown Extortion
Leavitt later posted on X about what the Schumer Shutdown could mean as we enter the Thanksgiving travel holiday.
With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, we are nearing the busiest travel period of the entire year, when millions of Americans will use airports to travel to see their loved ones.
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) October 23, 2025
Let us be very clear from the White House: if the Democrats continue to keep the government… pic.twitter.com/XsqADBG7oz
Let us be very clear from the White House: if the Democrats continue to keep the government closed up until Thanksgiving, we fear there will be significant flight delays, disruptions, and cancellations in major airports across the country.
Despite Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson's (LA-04) efforts to get Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and the Democrats to end the shutdown, it has continued.
Democrat House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (MA-05) recently even admitted the suffering of Americans was giving Democrats "leverage," RedState reported.
My colleague Rusty Weiss wrote:
Clark stated that the party's highest priority right now is delivering on healthcare, something the second-highest-ranking House Democrat calls "our defining issue."
But listen to what the actual defining issue is. Leverage, at the expense of suffering families.
🚨 @WhipKClark, the number two House Democrat, on the Democrat Shutdown: "Of course there will be families that are going to suffer... but it is one of the few leverage times we have."
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 22, 2025
These people are SICK! pic.twitter.com/7MRHsmGMGx
"Shutdowns are terrible and, of course, there will be, you know, families that are going to suffer. We take that responsibility very seriously," Clark explained. "But it is one of the few leverage items we have."
Honestly, I don't see how this insanity is going to end as long as Schumer is trying to appease the radicals in his party.
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
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