Don Dokken Slams U.S. Government Over Historic Shutdown, Cites Safety Warnings From Pilot Son

Don Dokken, the frontman of the legendary hard rock outfit Dokken, has delivered a scathing critique of the federal government following the recent 43-day shutdown, labeling the political gridlock a direct threat to public safety.

In a new, wide-ranging interview with “Artists On Record With Stefan Adika,” the vocalist offered a sobering perspective on the chaos that engulfed the U.S. aviation industry during the longest government shutdown in history, which finally concluded on November 12. While the political standoff has ended, Dokken revealed that the stress placed on the nation’s air traffic control infrastructure has left him—and his bandmates—wary of the skies.

Dokken‘s insights are far from speculative; they come directly from the cockpit. His son, a pilot for United Airlines who flies the Airbus A320, has provided the singer with a behind-the-scenes look at the “crazy” conditions facing flight crews.

“Everything’s kind of changed now. And politics, we had a new president in office. People were getting fired everywhere in the government. [We had] the longest shutdown in government history. I mean, people are working for free,” Dokken told Adika (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).

The singer relayed disturbing anecdotes from his son regarding critical understaffing in control towers across the country. Because air traffic controllers are employed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), they were deemed “essential employees” and forced to work without pay, leading to a spike in sick calls and fatigue.

“I ask him, ‘What’s going on?’ He goes, ‘It’s pretty crazy when you only have two flight controllers’ and he is supposed to have four. Well, something’s gonna happen. There’s gonna be an accident. And he said, ‘Yeah, it’s pretty crazy out here.'”

According to Dokken, the situation in the air was far more precarious than official reports suggested. He shared that his son has experienced multiple “close calls” due to the strained system.

“[My son] tells me these stories… He said, ‘Dad, whatever they’re telling you on the news, they’re lying.’ Near miss. Near miss. He goes, ‘That’s happening every couple of hours.'”

The vocalist expressed deep frustration with the hypocrisy of a system that halted pay for safety-critical workers while elected officials continued to draw salaries. He pointed to the absurdity of TSA agents and flight controllers—who are responsible for the lives of millions of travelers—struggling to pay bills while Congress faced no such financial penalty.

“The flight controllers aren’t getting paid, but the government’s paying themselves still… So Congress and the Senate are getting paid. But things that are more important, I would think, like crashing two planes into each other at 40,000 feet, that should be more of a priority, wouldn’t you think?” Dokken argued. “It’s just gonna take one little screw-up for something to happen. And the stress on those flight control tower people, the stress on them is heavy.”

The instability of air travel has had a tangible impact on the band’s touring logistics. Dokken noted that former bandmate and current Lynch Mob guitarist George Lynch, who has been opening for Dokken on recent dates, has refused to fly altogether due to safety concerns.

“[George] goes, ‘I’m not getting on no small plane.’ He won’t… And I tried to tell him, ‘You should talk to my son, ’cause my son’s a pilot,’ and explain to him that it’s safer than driving. But George has a big thing about flying too. He drives.”

This refusal has forced Lynch to endure grueling travel schedules, driving eight hours in a van for gigs that would otherwise require a short flight. For Dokken, it is just another symptom of a fractured system.

“It’s a crazy world, man. It’s just a crazy world,” he concluded.

The historic shutdown, which began on October 1, 2025, ended earlier this month after President Donald Trump signed a bill into law, restoring funding and back pay to federal workers.