Overview

• The FAA cites a slight uptick in air-traffic controller sick calls and is throttling traffic to preserve safety, with airports in Chicago, Boston and Houston reporting understaffing and Hollywood Burbank briefly closing.
• Roughly 750,000 federal workers are furloughed without pay, while essential personnel such as controllers and airport security must keep working unpaid.
• President Trump threatens permanent reductions to programs favored by Democrats as he seeks leverage in budget negotiations.
• Budget officials are preparing for layoffs and have questioned whether furloughed employees would receive retroactive pay, a departure from the 2018–2019 back‑pay precedent.
• Talks remain stalled over health-care funding, and Democrats are intensifying pressure by spotlighting the risk that service members miss paychecks due on October 15.