President Donald Trump, during an appearance on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle, admitted that he has no idea where $10,000 will come from. Earlier this week, the President promised $10,000 bonus to air traffic controllers who reported to work during the government shutdown.
Trump recently took a dig at an air traffic controller who didn’t report to work during the shutdown because they were not being paid. During the interview, Donald Trump doubled down on his promises and said that he would provide incentives to air traffic controllers who showed up at work. The amount promised was $10,000 bonus, but he now says that he “didn’t know” where the money would come from.
“Uh, it’s, I don’t know. I get it from someplace. I’ll get it from, I always get the money from someplace, regardless. It doesn’t matter. We did a lot of, I do a lot of bonuses for people because it’s really something that, it, it’s like the American way when you think about it. So here’s somebody that goes and shows up every single day,” Trump said.
Air traffic controllers are mandated by law to report to work even when they are not paid, unlike many federal employees who are placed on furlough during a government shutdown.
Trump on Air Traffic Controllers: The one’s that stayed, I’m sending them a $10,000 bonus.
Ingraham: Where is that money coming from?
Trump: I don’t know. pic.twitter.com/D1hNSDcpW4
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 11, 2025
The president continued to add fuel to the fire during the record-setting government shutdown. He said that federal workers who worked during the shutdown would not receive their paychecks; however, that has not been the case during previous shutdowns.
The shutdown has made the already severe scarcity of air traffic controllers in the United States worse. Last week, the FAA announced a 10% cut in flights at 40 airports nationwide. Numerous major airlines have seen thousands of cancellations as a result of this.
Last week, it seemed that a deal was in place by the end of the shutdown after the Senate passed a continuing resolution on Monday. The resolution was to reopen the government and keep it funded until January. Transportation officials have signaled that cancellations and delays from the shutdown will continue even after the government reopens.
Omg. Trump recommends a $10k bonus for air traffic controllers who showed up to work during the shutdown, GOES OFF on those who didn’t:
“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… pic.twitter.com/vfuSdDqdwc
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) November 10, 2025
Even though the shutdown seems to be coming to an end, nearly 9,000 flights have been canceled since the FAA ordered flight cuts last week, with an additional 1,200 being canceled on Tuesday alone. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy explained that fewer cancellations than in recent days were caused by more air traffic controllers going back to work following the announcement of a shutdown resolution.
The FAA has not said when it will roll back flight limits. Duffy remarked on Tuesday that “the cuts will remain, even after the shutdown ends, until safety metrics improve and staffing levels stabilize at air traffic control facilities.” The cuts are set to rise to 10% by Friday.
The particular safety information that led to the flight cancellation has not been disclosed by Duffy. However, he noted instances of aircraft approaching too closely in the air, an increase in runway incursions, and pilot complaints regarding controllers’ reactions during a press conference at Chicago’s O’Hare airport.
