More than 5,000 US flights were delayed or canceled on Saturday as the government shutdown hit air traffic control staffing.
Disruption had been limited because October is a slow month, but last week saw “the first indication of a broader, systemwide slowdown,” The Washington Post reported: The shutdown is in its second month, and controllers have now missed a paycheck. The transportation secretary said staff were having to decide whether to work unpaid or “drive for Uber or DoorDash.”
Vice President JD Vance said it “could be a disaster” for Thanksgiving travel. President Donald Trump blamed Democrats for the ongoing impasse, telling CBS that they were “crazed lunatics” and saying the shutdown would only end when they gave in.