President Donald Trump has announced his recommendation to award $10,000 bonuses to air traffic controllers who continued working throughout the recent Democrat-led government shutdown, Breitbart reports. In a statement posted on his Truth Social account, Trump emphasized that all air traffic controllers must return to their duties immediately, warning that those who fail to do so will face substantial salary reductions.
✈️REWARDING THOSE WHO SHOW UP.✈️
“The air traffic controllers who showed up — I’m sending them a $10,000 bonus. Where’s the money coming from? I’ll get it from someplace. I always do. Because it’s the American way — you reward the people who show up.” — @POTUS pic.twitter.com/bdgGNsPuGq
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) November 11, 2025
Trump praised the controllers who remained on duty without taking any leave during what he called the “Democrat Shutdown Hoax,” labeling them “great patriots” and pledging to recommend this bonus as a reward for their distinguished service to the country. Conversely, he expressed strong disapproval for those who took time off, despite knowing they would eventually receive full back pay. He implied that such individuals would receive a negative mark on their records in his view and suggested they resign without any severance pay if they intended to leave soon.
The president also indicated plans to replace any departing controllers with “true patriots” who will operate new, state-of-the-art equipment currently being procured. He criticized the previous administration for wasting billions on outdated systems they failed to fix properly.
“For those that did nothing but complain, and took time off, even though everyone knew they would be paid, IN FULL, shortly into the future, I am NOT HAPPY WITH YOU,” Trump wrote. “You didn’t step up to help the U.S.A. against the FAKE DEMOCRAT ATTACK that was only meant to hurt our Country. You will have a negative mark, at least in my mind, against your record. If you want to leave service in the near future, please do not hesitate to do so, with NO payment or severance of any kind! You will be quickly replaced by true Patriots, who will do a better job on the Brand New State of the Art Equipment, the best in the World, that we are in the process of ordering. The last ‘Administration’ wasted Billions of Dollars trying to fix antiquated ‘junk.’ They had no idea what they were doing! Again, to our great American Patriots, GOD BLESS YOU – I won’t be able to send your money fast enough! To all others, REPORT TO WORK IMMEDIATELY. GOD BLESS AMERICA! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP”
This announcement comes just before a bipartisan Senate deal to end the shutdown, which has caused significant disruptions in U.S. air travel. During the 40-day shutdown, many operations halted, and thousands of flights were delayed or canceled due to reduced staffing availability at airports, as some controllers sought other work to sustain themselves during the funding lapse. Trump urged those not back at work to report immediately.
