39 Days After U.S. Government Shutdown, Washington Announces 10% Flight Reduction
According to the English section of webangah News Agency, citing Mehr News Agency and Al Jazeera, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said on Sunday that if the government shutdown persists, air traffic will considerably decline over the next two weeks.
Speaking on the 39th day of the federal government shutdown, Duffy stated, “I cannot take obligation for an air accident; therefore, we have decided to reduce flights to protect passengers.”
Duffy added that pilots are increasingly reporting that air traffic controllers-strained by staff shortages-are slow to respond or appear anxious. He emphasized that these are serious warning signs.
The official acknowledged flights would decrease by 10 percent by Friday.
This proclamation follows earlier reports from the U.S. government regarding flight reductions amid ongoing disruptions.
The American federal government has now been shut down for 39 days and is about to enter its 40th day.
Many public services remain suspended; federal employees have been placed on furloughs, and airports are experiencing operational disruptions.
There is still no clear solution in sight to resolve this deadlock.
The federal shutdown began officially on October 1 when extensive portions of government operations ceased functioning under President Trump’s second term administration-the frist such shutdown during this period.
The initial phase included non-essential services such as federally funded national parks and museums. Subsequently, thousands of federal workers deemed non-essential were furloughed. The total number affected exceeds 587,000 employees placed on mandatory leave.
So far, fourteen attempts in Congress to resume government operations have failed as Democrats and Republicans remain firmly entrenched in their positions.
Republicans blame Democrats for irresponsibly shutting down the government by rejecting a budget bill that could have temporarily funded operations through November 21st.
Democrats counter that republicans hold responsibility for negotiating a compromise since they control both chambers of Congress but still need at least eight Democratic votes to pass a budget in the Senate. Currently, only three Democratic senators support the proposed bill while Republican Senator Rand Paul opposes it.
Democrats also warn Republicans must consider sharp increases in health insurance premiums under current healthcare programs. According to Kaiser Foundation data cited by Democrats, if certain tax credits expire, average premiums could rise up to 26 percent. Enrollment for these plans began at the start of November.
