Vance, Duffy warn of 'disaster' if shutdown stretches into Thanksgiving travel season

[Vice President Vance Speaks To Press After Meeting With Aviation Executives]
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images News

Vice President JD Vance and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have warned that it could be a disaster if the government shutdown extends into the Thanksgiving holiday season.

"It could be a disaster," Vance said after a White House roundtable with airline CEOs and aviation industry officials. "… because at that point, you're talking about people have missed three paychecks. They've missed four paychecks. How many of them are not going to show up for work?"

"That's going to lead to massive delays. We want people to be able to get home for Thanksgiving. We want people to be able to travel for business," he added.

Duffy said there had been minimal disruption in October because of good weather and slower air travel.

"But as we go into November, travel picks up as people start to look at going to see their families, kids come home from college," he said, adding that it'll be a "disaster in aviation" if the shutdown continued.

The days leading up to Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 27) and after the holiday are among the busiest travel days in the U.S.

United Airlines (UAL [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/UAL]), American (AAL [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/AAL]), Southwest (LUV [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/LUV]) and Delta (DAL [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/DAL]) called on Congress to approve a "clean" continuing resolution to reopen the government so that federal workers can get paid.

"It's been 30 days, and while I don't have a position on which partisan side and how things should be settled with healthcare, it has been 30 days," United (UAL [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/UAL]) CEO Scott Kirby told reporters.

Flights across the U.S. are facing delays due to air traffic control staffing issues, with the shutdown exacerbating longstanding controller shortages.

The shutdown forced 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 TSA agents to miss their first full paychecks this month. Some of them have taken second jobs to pay bills.

During President Trump's first term, air traffic controller shortages and resulting flight delays helped bring an end to the 35-day government shutdown - the longest ever - back in 2019.

If the current shutdown stretches to Nov. 5, it will become the longest in U.S. history.

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