COVID-19 vaccine mandates, a dearth of workers, and an expected rise in demand is poised to create a “perfect storm” that could derail air traffic in the coming months, two top Republican lawmakers warned aviation authorities this week. President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for federal employees will affect the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which helps control air traffic, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the primary means of security in airports. In addition, mandates for airlines have already led to some firings and resignations, and could lead to more, Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), the top Republican on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.), the top Republican on the Aviation Subcommittee, told FAA Administrator Stephen Dickson in a Nov. 8 letter (pdf). “Recent large scale airline operational disruptions have demonstrated our aviation system is operating with very little slack, meaning that even minor issues with worker shortages or …