Vance, Duffy Warn Shutdown Risks Thanksgiving Travel

Vice President JD Vance and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that the continuing U.S. government shutdown could produce an air‑travel “disaster” if it stretches into the busy Thanksgiving period after a White House roundtable with airline CEOs, unions and industry leaders. They said unpaid air traffic controllers and TSA officers are increasingly absent or taking second jobs, straining operations and risking multi‑hour security lines, widespread flight delays and safety concerns, and reported roughly 13,000 controllers and 50,000 TSA staff have been forced to work without pay. They added the FAA is short about 3,000 controllers. Major carriers including Delta, United, Southwest and American urged Congress to pass a stop‑gap continuing resolution to reopen the government and avert holiday chaos, and Vance and Duffy pressed Democrats to provide the votes for temporary funding. Industry leaders and unions discussed short‑term fixes but warned the situation will worsen if the shutdown continues.