US officials announced that scheduled flight capacity would be reduced by 10 percent in 40 busy air traffic areas nationwide on Friday, as the longest government shutdown continues.
Federal agencies have been at a standstill since Congress failed to approve funding beyond September 30, leaving approximately 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 stated during a White House news briefing on Wednesday, noting that these changes would take effect on Friday.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) chief Bryan Bedford mentioned that the cuts would be in “40 high traffic environment markets.” According to a proposed list provided to CBS News, some of the nation’s busiest airports in Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York City could be among those affected.
AFP reached out to the Department of Transport and FAA for details about which airports would be impacted.
The government shutdown became the longest in history on Wednesday, surpassing the 35-day record set during President Donald Trump’s first term.
Airport workers calling in sick instead of working without pay, causing significant delays, was a key factor in Trump ending the 2019 shutdown.
More than 60,000 air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration officers are currently working without pay, and the White House has warned that increased absenteeism could lead to chaos at check-in lines.
House Speaker Mike Johnson noted in late October that five percent of flight delays were due to staffing shortages, but that number has now risen to over 50 percent.
He warned that “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.”
However, both Democrats and Republicans remain steadfast on the main issue in the shutdown: health care spending.
Democrats insist they will only vote to end the funding lapse after a deal is reached to extend expiring insurance subsidies that make health care affordable for millions of Americans.
Republicans, on the other hand, demand that Democrats vote to reopen the government before addressing health care.
Trump has tried to pressure Democrats by threatening mass layoffs of federal workers and using the shutdown to target progressive priorities.
He reiterated on Tuesday his administration’s threat to cut off a vital aid program that helps 42 million Americans pay for groceries for the first time in its over 60-year history, despite the action being blocked by two courts.
The White House later clarified it was “fully complying” with its legal obligations and was working to distribute partial Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments “as much as we can and as quickly as we can.”
