776 air traffic controllers received $10,000 bonuses for working every day during the record-long 43-day government shutdown.
Only 776 of the more than 10,000 air traffic controllers who had to work without pay during the record shutdown will receive the $10,000 bonuses that President Donald Trump suggested because they are the only ones that had perfect attendance, officials announced Thursday.
A number of controllers started calling out of work as the shutdown dragged on longer than a month as they dealt with the financial pressure of working without a paycheck.
Some of them got side jobs, but others simply couldn’t afford the child care or gas they needed to work.
Their absences forced delays at airports across the country and led the government to cut some of their flights at 40 busy airports.
Trump suggested the bonuses for those who have stayed on the job in a social media post, but he also suggested that controllers who missed work should have their pay docked.
Federal Aviation Administration officials haven’t publicly announced plans to penalize controllers.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the bonuses acknowledged the dedication of controllers who never missed a shift during the 43-day shutdown.
“These patriotic men and women never missed a beat and kept the flying public safe throughout the shutdown,” Duffy said.
