Seeking a solution to aviation’s government shutdown problem

The Air Current
Will Guisbond
20 November 2025

In the first recounting of the 43-day U.S. government shutdown, pressure placed on politicians by a rapidly destabilizing national airspace system played a central role in ending the longest in the nation’s history, along with expiring food assistance and other key programs. As delays induced by air traffic controller staffing issues compounded with unprecedented scheduled capacity cuts mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration, eight U.S. Senate Democrats voted on Nov. 9 to advance a deal to reopen the government.

With the next shutdown potentially around the corner — as soon as the end of January, when the newly-passed funding extension expires — lawmakers, industry officials and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have issued renewed calls to safeguard the FAA and its air traffic controllers from the chaos of future shutdowns. Many legislative avenues have so far been introduced in Congress to accomplish this, varying from paying just air traffic controllers during shutdowns to insulating some FAA spending accounts from a lapse in appropriations...

Seeking a solution to aviation’s government shutdown problem - The Air Current - 20 November 2025