WASHINGTON, Nov 5 — The US government shutdown entered its 35th day yesterday, matching a record set during Donald Trump’s first presidency, as his administration warned of potential chaos at airports going into one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
The federal closure appears almost certain to become the longest in history, with no major breakthroughs expected before it goes into its sixth week at midnight — although there were fragile signs in Congress that an off-ramp was closer than ever.
The government has been grinding to a halt since Congress failed to approve funding past September 30, and pain has been mounting as welfare programmes — including aid that helps millions of Americans afford groceries — hang in limbo.
About 1.4 million federal workers, from air traffic controllers to park wardens, have been placed on enforced leave without pay or made to work for nothing.The Trump administration sounded the alarm yesterday over turmoil at airports nationwide if the shutdown drags into a sixth week, worsening staff shortages, snarling airport lines and closing down sections of airspace.
“So if you bring us to a week from today, Democrats, you will see mass chaos... You will see mass flight delays,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told a news conference in Philadelphia.
“You’ll see mass cancelations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace, because we just cannot manage it because we don’t have the air traffic controllers.”
Thanksgiving air travel is expected to set a new record this year, the AAA projected — with 5.8 million people set to fly domestically over the November 27 holiday.
More than 60,000 air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers are working without pay, and the White House has warned that increasing absenteeism could mean chaos at check-in lines.
Airport workers calling in sick rather than working without pay — leading to significant delays — was a major factor in Trump bringing an end to the 2019 shutdown, the joint-longest alongside the current stoppage.
Some lawmakers are hoping a slew of elections taking place in New York, Virginia, New Jersey and California yesterday will provide the momentum they need to reopen the government.
But both sides remain dug in over the main sticking point — health care spending.
