ATC controllers have the power. The system is already approaching failure; excess/pulled forward retirements or quits would only hasten this, based on how long it takes to put new hires through the training pipeline. This assumes the US populace cares when the commercial air traffic system comes to a halt when domestic airspace can no longer safely be managed, and booking a commercial flight becomes Russian roulette.

> The shutdown is having real consequences, as some students at the controller academy have already decided to abandon the profession because they don’t want to work in a job they won’t be paid for, Duffy said. That will only make it harder for the FAA to hire enough controllers to eliminate the shortage, since training takes years. He said that the government is only a week or two away from running out of money to pay students at the academy.

It is highly likely something has to break before anyone cares enough to fix this. It's unfortunate.

(ATC system is short ~3k controllers of target staffing levels, as of this comment, and 56 is mandatory retirement age)

The red states are the failed ones, not the blue ones. The blue ones are thriving. Let's cut the red ones loose and let them sink.

The bottom line is that Trump voters need to be isolated where they can't hurt anyone other than themselves.