WASHINGTON — The ongoing standoff in Congress might end up impacting travelers this Thanksgiving.
House Republican leaders issued a stern warning on Tuesday, suggesting that holiday travel could be in jeopardy if the partial government shutdown extends for several more weeks.
“During the busiest travel season of the year, airports are likely to be inundated with canceled and delayed flights. The potential issues are numerous,” said House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) at a press conference discussing the shutdown’s ramifications.
Due to the shutdown, which has been in place since October 1st, air traffic controllers and TSA workers have not received their paychecks.
Considered essential personnel, these workers are still required to show up, but there are reports that many are calling in sick.
Thanksgiving and Christmas represent the peak travel weeks of the year.
Under the Trump administration’s guidelines for shutdowns, around a quarter of FAA employees, which is over 11,000, were furloughed. Despite this pay issue, hiring for air traffic controllers continues unabated.
Republicans attempted to avert a government shutdown by proposing an emergency continuing resolution (CR) to keep operations running until November 21st.
By that date, the goal is to successfully pass the necessary 12 spending bills to fully fund the government for the fiscal year, which ideally should be finalized by October 1 each year to avoid a partial shutdown.
The CR has already cleared the House, receiving a possible maximum of 55 votes in the Senate. However, Democrats have refused to block it through a filibuster, meaning the measure requires a 60-vote majority to pass. They are asking for concessions regarding health policy in exchange.
“While TSA agents and air traffic controllers are working without pay, Democrats seem intent on holding firm until disaster strikes in the skies,” remarked Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), the Republican conference chair, during a press conference.
Her comments referenced a CNN article where an anonymous Democratic aide was quoted mentioning the party wouldn’t give in until “planes fell from the sky.”
As the shutdown continues, airports like Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Hollywood Burbank are experiencing staffing issues, making travel more difficult for passengers.
Almost 60,000 domestic flights faced delays last Sunday, as reported by FlightAware.
Active-duty service members are due to miss their first paycheck on Wednesday, although President Trump has pledged to reallocate funds to mitigate this issue.
This current shutdown marks the fourth longest in U.S. history; the previous record was a 35-day shutdown from December 2018 to January 2019.
That shutdown began just before Christmas and extended into the new year, leading federal inspectors to warn that safety could be compromised during such critical times.
