According to the data, the number of delayed flights reached 7,954, in addition to the cancellation of 2,298 other flights, bringing the total number of flights that did not depart on time to 10,252. The U.S. authorities later announced the continuation of the shutdown, which President Donald Trump described as a “necessity to ensure 100% security.” This came after the failure of the U.S. Congress to reach an agreement on the new fiscal year’s budget, which began on October 1, leading to a halt in the operations of several government agencies directly funded by Congress.
Trump considered the disagreements with Democrats over the budget as the main reason for the crisis, noting that the administration is using the shutdown period to make spending cuts and eliminate programs not supported by Republicans. Kevin Hassett, Director of the National Economic Council at the White House, warned on October 5 that the continuation of the shutdown could lead to GDP losses of up to $15 billion per week.
