Democratic senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin from Illinois have written a letter to Federal Aviation Administrator Bryan Bedford criticizing him for not implementing the full 3.8% pay raise approved by Congress four months ago for air traffic controllers. The senators claim that Bedford's plan to focus on workforce utilization could actually harm air traffic controllers in the long run, leading to weakened retention and compromised aviation safety. They argue that this "utilization" approach is a thinly veiled attempt to delay the pay increase, which they call "petty, disrespectful, and counterproductive." The letter was written after Bedford told the Washington Examiner that working with the controllers' union would help "unlock" the remaining 2.8% of the pay raise.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-04,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Illinois Democratic Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin are criticizing the FAA Administrator, Bryan Bedford, for withholding a 2.8% pay raise for air traffic controllers approved by Congress in April. The senators argue that this move is "petty, disrespectful and counterproductive" and that the conditions set by Congress for the raise to be implemented - such as improvements to staffing and scheduling efficiency - are not too high of a bar to meet. Congress had allocated $140 million for the 3.8% pay increase, but only a 1% raise has been given so far, which is also the same percentage given to all government employees in January. The FAA's 2026 Controller Workforce Plan suggests that the agency believes it can improve scheduling efficiency and reduce overtime by getting more "utilization" out of air traffic controllers, which Duckworth and Durbin say is a way of holding the raise hostage.
Written for “Air Traffic Controller Pay Dispute” on 2026-09-05,
grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
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The notion that your agency has failed to reach an agreement with air traffic controllers that they find satisfactory means that what you are requesting must not benefit controllers
left accusation of FAA's intentions
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Holding air traffic controllers’ remaining 2.8 percent pay increase hostage to force a workforce that has operated under mandatory overtime for years to work longer hours is petty, disrespectful and counterproductive
left criticism of FAA's actions
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Squeezing more ‘utilization’ out of air traffic controllers who have been understaffed, underpaid, and over worked for years will weaken retention and undermine aviation safety
left prediction of negative consequences
Leaning score -0.70 for article 4182 (high confidence, 3 verified quotes) · logged 2026-09-04
Two Democratic senators on Friday penned a letter to Federal Aviation Administrator Bryan Bedford, rebuking the administration for not yet implementing the full 3.8% pay raise for air traffic controllers approved by Congress four months ago.
asserted
senators → pen → Congress
Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) ripped into Bedford for his “inaction” in implementing the remaining 2.8% of the wage increase, as controllers already received a 1% increase provided to federal civilian employees in January.
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asserted
controllers → rip → Stories
The two Prairie State senators said the conditions established for the increase to be implemented, including improvements to staffing, scheduling, and other operational efficiencies, were “not a high bar.”
asserted
increase → say → staffing
“The notion that your agency has failed to reach an agreement with air traffic controllers that they find satisfactory means that what you are requesting must not benefit controllers,” they wrote.
asserted
they → fail → controllers
Bedford previously told the Washington Examiner that working with the controllers’ union, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, to get “as much utilization out of our workforce as we can” would help “unlock the 2.8%,” which Duckworth and Durbin cited in their letter as evidence that the administrator is not following Congress’s direction.
asserted
administrator → tell → direction
“Holding air traffic controllers’ remaining 2.8 percent pay increase hostage to force a workforce that has operated under mandatory overtime for years to work longer hours is petty, disrespectful and counterproductive,” the senators said.
asserted
senators → hold → hours
“Whether the Trump administration’s Brand New Air Traffic Control System succeeds or fails will depend on the morale of the people expected to run it.”
asserted
succeeds → succeed → it
The FAA has previously pushed back on the notion that the agency was contravening Congress, pointing to language in the law that gives the administrator discretion to implement the increase after determining that certain operational improvements have been achieved.
asserted
improvements → push → increase
The statute gives the administrator “sole discretion” to make that determination and provides that, if the determination is made, the pay adjustment would be retroactive to the first pay period beginning after Jan. 1.
asserted
adjustment → give → Jan.
Additionally, the statute does not prescribe the specific scheduling or staffing changes Bedford must achieve before making that determination.
asserted
Bedford → prescribe → determination
Bedford said he wants to reevaluate how employees are deployed throughout the day.
asserted
employees → say → day
Duckworth and Durbin specifically took issue with Bedford’s plan to focus on workforce utilization, saying his objective could hurt air traffic controllers in the long run.
uncertain
objective → take → run
“Squeezing more ‘utilization’ out of air traffic controllers who have been understaffed, underpaid, and over worked for years will weaken retention and undermine aviation safety,” they said.
asserted
they → squeeze → safety
Duckworth and Durbin ended their letter by urging Bedford to approve the pay raise “rightfully earned” by air traffic controllers, noting that the administration has “moved quickly” to obligate money for air traffic control equipment.
asserted
administration → end → equipment
The Washington Examiner reached out to the FAA for comment.
asserted
Examiner → reach → comment
