With Government Shutdown Crisis Ongoing, 754 Flights Canceled Across U.S
The English section of webangah News Agency reports that,according to ABC News and Mehr News Agency,more than 700 flights across the United States were canceled by Saturday as the Federal Aviation administration (FAA) continues to limit flight capacity at 40 major airports amid the ongoing government shutdown.
By 6 a.m. Eastern Time on Saturday, a total of 754 flights had been canceled nationwide. This figure could surpass Friday’s cancellation count of 1,024 before the end of Saturday.
Despite over one thousand cancellations on Friday, widespread delays persist at airports across the country due to staffing shortages in control towers and air traffic control centers.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Doocey told ABC News Live that if the shutdown continues, further reductions in air travel may follow. He added, “I hope the government shutdown ends soon so we can return to normal operations.”
The US government shutdown has now entered its thirty-ninth day after completing thirty-eight full days.
Many public services remain suspended; federal employees are on furloughs, and disruptions continue at airports nationwide.
No resolution appears imminent for this deadlock.
The federal government officially shut down on October 1st when large parts of its operations halted following a budget impasse.
This marks the first shutdown during President Trump’s second term.
The initial phase affected non-essential services such as federally funded parks and museums. Subsequently,thousands of federal employees deemed “non-essential” were placed on mandatory unpaid leave.More than 587,000 federal workers have been furloughed so far.
Meanwhile, fourteen attempts by Congress to reopen government operations have failed due to Democrats and Republicans holding firm positions against each other despite sustained pressure.
Republicans accuse Democrats of irresponsibly rejecting funding bills that could have temporarily reopened the government until November 21st. Conversely,Democrats insist Republicans-who control both chambers-bear duty for compromise but still require at least eight democratic votes in the Senate for budget approval. To date only three Democratic senators have supported current proposals while Republican senator Rand Paul has opposed them.
Democrats also warn Republicans must consider sharp premium increases under healthcare plans because according to Kaiser Foundation data canceling subsidies would raise premiums by an average of up to 26 percent. Open enrollment for these plans began earlier this month in November.
