Overview
- The federal shutdown has stretched into day 36–37, the longest on record, with Congress deadlocked over funding and health‑subsidy terms under the Senate’s 60‑vote rules.
- Transportation officials directed airlines to implement phased capacity reductions starting Friday—about 4% on day one, 5% Saturday, 6% Sunday—ramping to as much as 10% next week across 40 major airports.
- Major hubs including Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Chicago O’Hare, Denver, Phoenix, and New York area airports are preparing cancellations and schedule changes under FAA coordination.
- Roughly 13,000 air‑traffic controllers are working without pay, the system is short about 2,000 controllers, absenteeism is acute in New York facilities, and Secretary Sean Duffy warned parts of U.S. airspace could be closed if safety requires it.
- Airlines and reports anticipate thousands of daily cancellations—estimated around 3,500 to 4,500—though international flights may be largely exempt, as delays and disruptions have already affected more than 3.2 million passengers; separate disruptions include partial, delayed November SNAP funding for 42 million people and an estimated $11 billion in weekly economic losses if the shutdown continues.