Day: October 24, 2025

• Air traffic controllers will receive $0 paychecks by October 28 amid the government shutdown.
• The 2019 shutdown is a reminder of air traffic controllers’ power over the national air system.
• Three controllers told Business Insider that they don’t want to be political bargaining chips.

Pete LeFevre is worried about how his coworkers will get by if they don’t get paid next week.

It would be the first $0 paycheck for America’s 13,000 air traffic controllers during the second-longest government shutdown in US history. Like most federal employees, they got a partial check last week because the pay period started before the shutdown began.

“We’re all going to be faced with a tough decision,” the Washington, D.C.-based controller and union representative told Business Insider. “On my one day off, am I going to drive for Uber, Uber Eats, Instacart, so that I can make my payments?”

One of America’s most stressed-out professions holds a delicate power in Washington’s standoff. Chaos from the 2019 shutdown is fresh in politicians’ minds: Air traffic controllers called out sick en masse, triggering airport snafus nationwide — including the temporary closure of New York’s LaGuardia Airport. It ultimately forced the end of the longest government shutdown in US history.

Three controllers told Business Insider they don’t want to be the barometer for whether the nation’s aviation system could once again reach its breaking point — they just want to do their jobs, be paid fairly, and support their coworkers.

“Air traffic control doesn’t start shutdowns, and we don’t end shutdowns. It has zero to do with us,” Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association labor union, told Business Insider.

If Congress remains deadlocked by November 5, it will mark the longest shutdown in US history. And Washington is watching closely to see whether controllers will flex their power amid threats of dismissal and mounting pressure to keep flights safe and on time.

“We want to continue to perform for the American people,” LeFevre said, “but we don’t want the financial uncertainty in the back of our minds when we should be 100% focused on the work we do.”

Stressed-out air traffic controllers just want to be ‘fat, happy, and moving airplanes’

Air traffic controllers described frustration at being caught in the middle of a government shutdown with no end in sight. As politicians spar, their paychecks hang in the balance. Controllers are expected to get back pay once the shutdown ends.

One said controllers just want to be “fat, happy, and moving airplanes.” Pressure from the Trump Administration to show up to work without pay has them stressed and distracted. Public discourse about their salaries has also ruffled feathers.

In an X post, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wrote, “Did you know the starting salary for controllers is $180K/year and can go as high as $400K/year?”

Some in the industry said Duffy was trying to distort public perception of their plight.

“I’m sure it probably makes society go, ‘Well, why don’t you have enough money in your bank account?'” said former military air traffic controller and Florida Institute of Technology professor Margaret Wallace.

In reality, the industry’s pay range is wide and depends on years of experience and the airport’s traffic. Overtime is also common and pays time-and-a-half.

According to the FAA employee pay table, entry-level controllers earn a base pay between about $55,000 and $68,000, while veteran controllers at the highest-traffic airports can eventually earn up to $225,700. In Atlanta, for example, at the world’s busiest airport, fully certified controllers start at about $161,000.

A Department of Transportation spokesperson told Business Insider that the average certified controller earns over $160,000 a year within three years of leaving the training academy.

Younger controllers, in particular, may need to resort to gig work to pay the bills while their paychecks are frozen. One told Business Insider that others in their facility are actively driving for Uber or Instacart to make extra money.

LeFevre said asking who is pursuing gig work is a common topic of conversation in the break room, even though controllers are working up to 10 hours a day, six days a week, and face mandatory overtime. (This schedule was a common reality before the shutdown due to a decadeslong controller shortage.)

“If you worked our schedule, you’d notice serious impacts to sleep, quality of life, and your immune system takes a noticeable and seriously concerning hit,” the first controller said. The other controller said people in their facility are scared to call out, even if they don’t feel fit for duty.

Controllers worry they could be fired for calling out

Duffy has praised those who show up to work during the shutdown, and warned that “problem children” could be fired.

Controllers say they have not had to worry about that in the past. The industry’s safety culture encourages them to stay home when tired or sick without fear of punishment.

One controller said they believe that some are taking advantage of the situation and calling out in protest, but they don’t like this because it leaves their coworkers to carry the load. Still, they said, “sick leave for fatigue is very real.”

There’s bipartisan concern about overworked and overtired controllers being pushed to the brink — and the gravity of the situation is mounting as airports face staffing issues almost daily.

Several US airports, including Chicago and Atlanta, experienced staffing shortages over the weekend. On October 6, a Los Angeles area airport was temporarily closed for six hours because its tower was unstaffed.

Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a Democrat from New Jersey, drew attention to an 88-minute staffing-related delay in Newark earlier this month and urged Congress to act. President Donald Trump this week sent “super checks” to pay select law enforcement during the shutdown, but not to controllers. He previously suggested that furloughed federal workers may not receive back pay.

Wallace said that morale in the profession is low, and comments like Duffy’s further fuel the stress and distractions.

“Is Trump going to fire them like Reagan did?” she said, referring to when former president Ronald Reagan fired controllers striking over what they said were low wages and long work days. “Those are all realistic feelings, and I know they’re feeling the pressure.”

Used for everything from sautéing and deep frying to pouring into salad dressings, oil is the ultimate kitchen staple.

• NFL teams are accepting outside investments for the first time, including from private equity.
• The New York Jets are 0-7 and slowly destroying me.
• I need a PE firm to bring an overhaul to the team I love so dearly.

Private-equity investors, I know you’ve heard this before, but I have a great investment opportunity for you.

I’ve never worked a day in finance, and I’m arguably closer to the NBA than an MBA, which is saying something considering how bad my jump shot is. But hear me out.

I understand the most basic principle in investing: Buy low, sell high. And I’ve got an asset that would consider the Mariana Trench a step up.

My beloved New York Jets.

Your immediate reaction might be to laugh (most people do when I tell them I’m a fan). But the NFL has finally opened its doors to institutional investors, and PE firms are rushing to get a piece of the action.

The New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, and New York Giants got the green light from the NFL to receive outside investments this week. For the Giants, the deal reportedly valued the Jets’ MetLife Stadium roommates at a whopping $10.3 billion. The Pats’ ($9 billion) and Niners’ ($8.6 billion) valuations weren’t anything to sneeze at either.

Admittedly, it won’t be a bargain. CNBC has the Jets’ valuation at $9.1 billion, which ranks them sixth-highest in the league. Forbes has the Jets slightly lower at $8.1 billion. It’s tough to say the price tag definitively, but being based in the largest US city likely means it comes with a nice premium.

Meanwhile, the Jets are 0-7 this year with a real shot at finishing 0-17, which would be the worst season in NFL history. They’re tied with the Buffalo Sabres for the longest active playoff drought — 14 seasons — across the four major US professional sports. (At least we’re champs at something.)

A terrible team with a high price tag. Where do I sign up?

There’s also a catch. League rules don’t allow these new investors to take more than a 10% stake, making them passive investors without voting power. (Man, I’m really doing a good job selling this.)

But getting a foot in the door will give you an edge if the league looks to raise the limit. And if the NFL does change the rules, private-equity investors are known for orchestrating massive turnarounds (or at least trying to).

Now is PE’s chance. And don’t worry about driving the team into the ground. We’re already almost six feet under.

It’s not all bad news

The Jets come with some silver linings.

Fortunately, unlike the English Premier League, the NFL doesn’t relegate teams. So, as bad as the Jets are, they get to stay in a league that’s minting money.

There are three guarantees in life: death, taxes, and the NFL getting boatloads of money to broadcast its games. The league is reportedly looking to renegotiate its media deals as soon as next year, and it’s bound to have a long list of suitors.

The money from the NFL’s TV deals is evenly split across all 32 franchises. Private equity loves recurring revenue. How about a few hundred million dollars you can bank on every year?

Jets fans are also devoted. They are committed. You have to be to cheer for a team like this. Looking for a loyal partner? Marry a Jets fan, because anyone who still roots for them definitely won’t leave you. (My wife is a Jets fan, too, so I guess we’re really stuck together.)

Just look at this poor sap after Sunday’s loss to the Carolina Panthers. (This was sent to me no less than three times in 24 hours.)

Think of the dedication they’d show to the rest of your portfolio companies! Oh, you own a business that sells water skis? I’ll buy 10 of them if you get the Jets a Super Bowl, and I don’t even own a boat.

I once had a friend stop eating Kraft products the week leading up to a game against the Patriots to protest team owner Robert Kraft. Only after the game, which we probably lost, did he realize Kraft has nothing to do with the food company he shares a name with. Stupid? Maybe. Loyal? Absolutely.

Bringing the Jets some success could also help you cut more deals. After all, if you can turn the Jets around, what company can’t you improve?

Whatever it takes, Jets nation will have your back.

Are you a PE investor looking to invest in the Jets? Are you a beleaguered Jets fan who just needs some support? Email me at ddefrancesco@businessinsider.com.

When feet of water surged into motel rooms in Egg Harbor Township on Oct. 13, miles from the coastline, first responders knew exactly what to do.