Airlines Are Bracing for Total Gridlock if Democrats Don’t End the Shutdown Now
If the government shutdown drags past next week, American air travelers will face mass cancellations, crippling delays and even forced closures of U.S. airspace. That’s not speculation—it’s a promise from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who warns that congressional Democrats are engineering chaos at 30,000 feet.
Duffy laid it out in blunt terms: “Bring us a week from today, Democrats, and you will see mass flight delays. You will see mass cancellations. You may see us close certain parts of the airspace because we just cannot manage it.” Those aren’t scare tactics. They’re the direct result of Democrat lawmakers voting 13 times against funding the government at current levels.
Under current staffing shortages at the FAA, as many as 25 percent of air-traffic controllers and safety inspectors are furloughed. Every day the shutdown persists, more critical personnel are forced off the job. The result: broken schedules, jammed runways and enraged travelers left stranded in airports from LaGuardia to LAX.
House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Republican Leader John Thune have spared no effort to peel off moderate Democrats. They’ve offered compromises, amendments and extension bills. Each time, Senate Democrats shot them down—preferring to play politics with healthcare credits rather than protect the American public’s safety and freedom to fly.
Let’s be crystal clear: this crisis was avoidable. The very tax credits designed to lower premiums under the Affordable Care Act are on the table. Republicans proposed a straight extension of today’s funding levels through November 21 to preserve every federal function, including critical aviation services. Democrats refused.
The result is an unprecedented threat to America’s skies. Families bound for holidays, business travelers with urgent meetings and freight carriers moving vital supplies will all pay the price for this partisan standoff. Airports will devolve into chaotic waiting rooms. Flight boards will become tombstones of missed connections.
Democrats hold the key to reopening the government. They’ve blocked every commonsense measure. Now, they’re personally responsible for whatever havoc descends upon passengers and commerce. The GOP stands ready with clean funding bills. Will Democrats choose safe air travel for all, or press on with their shutdown spectacle? The answer will define who’s accountable when the flights stop—and the public demands answers.
