United States officials said flight capacity would be reduced by 10 per cent at 40 busy air traffic areas nationwide on Friday, as the most extended government shutdown in US history continues.
Federal agencies have been grinding to a halt since Congress failed to approve funding past September 30, leaving some 1.4 million federal workers, from air traffic controllers to park wardens, either on enforced leave or working without pay.
“There is going to be a 10 percent reduction in capacity at 40 of our locations,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told a White House news briefing on Wednesday.
The official noted that the cuts would take effect on Friday. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) chief, Bryan Bedford, added that the reductions would target “40 high traffic environment markets.”
According to a proposed list provided to CBS News, some of the nation’s busiest airports, including Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York City, are among those that may be affected.
The shutdown became the longest in US history on Wednesday, surpassing the 35-day record set during President Donald Trump’s first term.
During that 2019 shutdown, airport workers calling in sick rather than working without pay led to significant delays and played a major role in ending the crisis.
Currently, more than 60,000 air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration officers are working without pay, with the White House warning that rising absenteeism could create chaos at check-in lines.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said in late October that staffing shortages had caused five per cent of flight delays at the time, a number that has now surged past 50 per cent. “The longer the shutdown goes on, and as fewer air traffic controllers show up to work, the safety of the American people is thrown further into jeopardy,” he warned.
Despite the mounting disruptions, both Democrats and Republicans have remained firm on the main sticking point: health care spending.
Democrats insist on extending expiring insurance subsidies before ending the shutdown, while Republicans demand that funding be restored before negotiating health care provisions.
President Trump has sought to pressure Democrats by threatening mass federal layoffs and cutting key programmes.
He reiterated on Tuesday, his administration’s threat to suspend a vital aid programne that helps 42 million Americans pay for groceries, even though courts have blocked the move.
The White House later clarified that it was “fully complying” with legal obligations and working to distribute partial Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments “as much as we can and as quickly as we can.”
