As the government shutdown begins to extend into its first week, more functions of daily life are quickly deteriorating, one of which is the airports located in various major U.S. cities.
Florida Congressman Jimmy Patronis (R) raised alarms in a post on X.
“Airports are strained and facing delays because of the [Schumer shutdown],” Patronis shared. “We funded $12.5 billion to fix airports in the Working Families Tax Cut. That work is being delayed because of the shutdown. The shutdown is creating headwinds for the traveling public and the economy.”
Another Florida Republican, Congressman Aaron Bean, shared an X post from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt where she announced that “the Democrat Shutdown is causing flight disruptions and travel delays for Americans.”
In Leavitt’s post, she included a CNN News report showing an FAA bulletin with airport facilities in major U.S. cities that are facing shortages.
The reason for all the delays and shortages in the airports is due to reports of air traffic controllers and airport staff calling in sick.
According to an ABC News report, the air traffic control tower at Nashville International Airport operated with extremely limited staffing on October 7th, 2025, forcing the air traffic control center in Memphis, Tennessee, to handle some approach traffic. Flights in and out of Nashville were operating with an average delay of more than 2 hours that evening.
Other airports in Dallas and Chicago were also seeing similar delays due to staffing shortages.
The government classifies air traffic controllers as essential workers and exempts them from furloughs during a shutdown. An estimated 13,294 controllers will continue to work without pay during the shutdown, according to the Department of Transportation's shutdown.
