Shutdown Hits Record Day 36: FAA to Cut Flights at 40 Busy Airports
On Nov. 5, the federal government shutdown entered its 36th day, surpassing the 35-day record set in 2018-2019 to become the longest shutdown in U.S. history. The shutdown began on Oct. 1, and about 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers have been working without pay, with controllers working six days a week under mandatory overtime; staffing shortages are already straining air operations nationwide.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on Nov. 5 that the Federal Aviation Administration will cut flights at 40 busy airports starting Friday, Nov. 6, beginning with a 4% reduction and rising gradually to 10% by Nov. 14, during the hours of 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., covering hubs including Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami and Orlando. The FAA called the measure unprecedented and said its purpose is to keep the airspace safe amid the staffing shortage. On Nov. 2, controller staffing accounted for 84% of all flight-delay minutes nationwide, compared with a typical 5%; on Nov. 5 alone, 2,133 flights were delayed and 146 canceled across the country.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the Senate will vote on Friday on a stopgap funding bill to reopen the government. The core of the two parties' standoff remains health care subsidies: Democrats insist that any funding bill must extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies that are about to expire, while Republicans argue for passing a continuing resolution first to keep the government funded through Nov. 21 and negotiating the subsidies afterward; the House has been in recess since Sept. 19. Millions of families who rely on federal food assistance have been affected, and the shutdown has frozen many federal services.
(Source: Federal Aviation Administration)
Source: Federal Aviation Administration
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国联邦航空局总部。（GSM 固定图库） / Photo: Federal Aviation Administration headquarters.
- 2026-11-05Shutdown Hits Record Day 36: FAA to Cut Flights at 40 Busy AirportsThis story
- 2026-11-06Shutdown Day 37: FAA Flight Cuts Take Effect November 7, Starting at 4% at 40 Busy Airports
- 2026-11-06Senate Passes Homeland Security Budget Plan 50-48, With $70 Billion for Immigration Enforcement and Border Patrol
- 2026-11-08Senate Clears 60-40 Procedural Vote on Sunday, Raising Hopes of Ending the Government Shutdown
- 2026-11-09U.S. Airlines' Daily Cancellations Top 2,100 for First Time Since Shutdown Cuts Began
- 2026-11-09FAA Data on November 9: Newark Liberty Departure Delays of 46 Minutes to One Hour and Rising, While Boston and JFK Stay at 15 Minutes or Less
- 2026-11-10Senate Passes Funding Deal 60-40 to End 41-Day Shutdown; House to Vote Wednesday
- 2026-11-10Fourth Day of Shutdown Flight Cuts: More Than 2,200 Flights Cancelled on Monday as the FAA Expands Restrictions on Private Flights
- 2026-11-10Sixty Votes and the Government Is Still Closed: What the Deal on the Longest Shutdown Settled, and What It Pushed to December
- 2026-11-10America's Government Has Been Shut for 41 Days: Why It Closed, How It Reopens, and What Comes Next
- 2026-11-10A TSA Spokesperson Put Sunday's National Callout Rate at 10.19 Percent, the Highest the Agency Has Seen: Houston Callouts Topped 50 Percent Over the Weekend and 366 Officers Have Quit During the Shutdown
- 2026-11-11Shutdown Day 42: House to Vote Tonight on Funding Bill to Reopen the Government