Shutdown could reduce US flights ‘to a trickle’, Home Secretary warns

Flight delays and cancellations continued to plague US air travel for a third day as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy continued.

More than 1,400 flights to, from, or within the US were canceled and 2,700 were delayed by Sunday morning, according to Flight Tracker Flightawe. The longest delays were reported in Newark, New Jersey – more than two hours on average.

In a hopeful sign, lawmakers are working on a possible deal to reach a compromise on government funding and end the shutdown, according to US media reports.

The Senate is scheduled to convene Sunday in a rare weekend session.

Duffy warned of the effects of air travel growing if they don’t break the stalemate soon.

“You’re going to see air travel go down by a trickle,” he told CNN on Sunday. He added that travelers intending to fly home for Polia on Thanksgiving later this month may not make it there.

“A lot of them can’t get on a plane, because there aren’t many flights that fly if this thing doesn’t open,” he said.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced last week that it would be reducing air travel capacity by up to 6% this weekend and 10% by next weekend at 40 of the nation’s busiest airports. The cuts do not apply to international flights, but some airlines may choose to cancel some of those flights as well, the FAA said.

Air traffic controllers, who are not paid to close, are reported to be tired and will not go to work, the reduction of air traffic guards.

Duffy said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth offered to have military traffic controllers as a measure to help curb civilian traffic.

In total, hundreds of thousands of federal workers have not been paid since the government ran out of money on 1 October. Food assistance for African Americans is also in limbo, with the administration agreeing to pay only half of the monthly benefits.

Sunday marked the 40th day of the longest shutdown in history as Republicans and Democrats still failed to agree on a funding resolution to reopen the government.

Republicans and Democrats blamed each other for causing the anger and for the travel disruptions.

Democrats refuse to back any Republican spending plan unless money for health insurance subsidies is included, while Republicans want to provide funding for whatever is included.

President Donald Trump proposed over the weekend that the surplus should be sent directly to Americans who buy health insurance instead of insurance companies.

Republican senators are working on a compromise package that could end the impasse on a vote to advance legislation that could come Sunday.