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Air travel across the United States faces severe disruptions in the coming weeks as a government shutdown now in its sixth week forces thousands of flight cancellations and delays, federal officials warned Sunday.
The Trump administration has mandated flight reductions at 40 airports nationwide to alleviate pressure on air traffic controllers who continue working without paychecks since federal funding expired October 1. The move comes as a political impasse between Republicans and Democrats over government spending shows no signs of resolution.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued stark warnings about worsening conditions as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches in two weeks, when millions of Americans typically take to the skies.
"You're going to have air travel slow to a trickle as everyone wants to travel to see their families," Duffy said on Fox News Sunday. "We're going to see air traffic controllers, very few of them coming to work, which means you'll have a few flights taking off and landing... You're going to have massive disruption (and) a lot of angry Americans."
The shutdown has left numerous government employees, including essential airport personnel, either working without pay or furloughed. Federal agencies have largely ceased operations during the funding lapse, now stretching beyond five weeks.
Speaking on CNN's "State of the Union," Duffy warned the situation would deteriorate further as holiday travel intensifies.
"It's only going to get worse," Duffy said. "Many of them are not going to be able to get on an airplane, because there are not going to be that many flights that fly if this thing doesn't open back up."
The flight reductions and staffing shortages threaten to strand travelers during one of the busiest travel periods of the year, when airports typically handle peak passenger volumes.
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