The government shutdown has entered its third week, and the political fallout is spreading fast. Now, pilots are joining the call for Democrats to reopen the government as air travel edges toward crisis levels ahead of the holidays.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a briefing that several major pilot associations have issued urgent statements urging Senate Democrats to stop holding up funding. The groups warned that the shutdown is putting stress on both air traffic control systems and the pilots who depend on them to keep travelers safe.

“Some of them [air traffic controllers] are reportedly being forced to turn to driving for Uber and taking on other second jobs to make ends meet, as the Democrats continue to shut down the government,” Leavitt said. “Pilots are calling on Democrats to end this dangerous political game.”

Leavitt said Jody Reven, the president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, had called on Congress to pass the clean continuing resolution that Republicans already approved in the House.

“Our air traffic controllers and the broader air traffic system are already operating under immense pressure,” Reven said. “A government shutdown only compounds that stress and threatens the efficiency of our skies.”

The Airline Pilots Association International, which represents more than 80,000 pilots across multiple airlines, also issued a warning about the growing safety risks.

“They said this shutdown is undermining our safety,” Leavitt explained. “Resources are stretched thin, negotiations are delayed, and strain goes daily.”

Earlier this month, the association’s president, Jason Ambrosi, told Fox News that the shutdown is directly harming the nation’s ability to maintain safe skies.

“The job of keeping aviation safe and secure is tough on an easy day, but forcing them to do it without pay undermines the safety and security of our entire system,” Ambrosi said. “We are at a critical moment in aviation safety, and we need our leaders to be focused on the necessary infrastructure and staffing improvements.”

Leavitt later posted on social media that the timing of the shutdown could make travel chaos worse just as families prepare to fly home for Thanksgiving.

“If the Democrats continue to keep the government closed up until Thanksgiving, we fear there will be significant flight delays, disruptions, and cancellations in major airports across the country,” she said.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Senate Republicans have continued urging Democrats to accept the House’s clean funding bill and get the government back open. But Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has refused to bring it to a vote, keeping the shutdown in place.

Meanwhile, Democrats have been accused of using the crisis as leverage for their political agenda. House Minority Whip Katherine Clark admitted as much during an interview.

“Shutdowns are terrible and, of course, there will be, you know, families that are going to suffer. We take that responsibility very seriously,” Clark said. “But it is one of the few leverage items we have.”

Her comment has sparked outrage as more federal workers and families face delayed pay and disruptions. Critics say the suffering is being weaponized for political gain.

With pilots now entering the fray, the shutdown’s fallout is spreading beyond Washington’s walls and into America’s busiest airports. Every passing day adds to the pressure on Senate Democrats to act before the travel season grinds to a halt.