As the record federal government shutdown continues into its 38th day, U.S. airspace will become slightly less congested. The same cannot be said about US airports.
Donald Trump's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said flights are being reduced to maintain air traffic control safety during the ongoing federal government shutdown, now the longest on record and with no sign of a resolution between republicans And Democrats end the federal budget standoff.
Airline regulators have identified “high-volume markets” in which the FAA says air traffic must be reduced by 4% by 6 a.m. ET Friday. The move will force airlines to cancel thousands of flights and create a cascade of scheduling problems and delays at some of the country's largest airports.
Trump transportation chief Sean Duffy wrote on Thursday X that the decision was “not about politics” but rather “about evaluating the data and mitigating the risk of building a system as inspectors continue to work without pay.”
“It's safe to fly today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow because of the proactive actions we're taking,” Duffy added.
US airlines cancel flights following airline agency directive to reduce air traffic
Experts predict that hundreds, if not thousands of flights could be cancelled. Aviation analytics firm Cirium estimates the cuts could amount to up to 1,800 flights and more than 268,000 seats combined.
The affected airports, spanning more than two dozen states, include some of the busiest airports in the United States, including Atlanta, Charlotte, Denver, Dallas/Fort Worth, Orlando, Los Angeles, Miami and San Francisco. In some major cities, such as New York, Houston and Chicago, multiple airports will be affected.
All three airports serving the Washington, D.C. area—Dulles International Airport, Baltimore/Washington International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport—will be affected, inevitably leading to flight delays and cancellations for lawmakers as well as other travelers.
US Supreme Court allows Trump to block gender markers on passports for trans and non-binary people
The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed Donald Trump's administration to enforce a policy that bars transgender and nonbinary people from choosing the gender marker that matches their gender identity.
The ruling by the high court's conservative majority is the latest victory for Trump in an emergency high court case, meaning his administration can enforce the policy while litigation over it continues.
Three liberal court justices dissenterJudge Ketanji Brown Jackson called the decision a “senseless but painful perversion.”
US Judge Orders Trump Administration to Fully Fund Snap Benefits in November
U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr.'s decision Thursday came in response to an outcry from cities and nonprofits complaining that the administration was proposing to cover only 65% of the maximum benefit. The government said it would rely on $4.65 billion in emergency funding.
“Defendants failed to consider the practical consequences associated with this decision to only partially fund Snap,” McConnell said. “They knew there would be a long delay in paying out Snap's partial payments and did not consider the harm that individuals relying on these benefits would suffer.”
Workers condemn Trump officials as 'out of control' as longest shutdown drags on
How Federal shutdown in the US Now in its second month, government officials are accusing the Trump administration of being “out of control” and bullying people who are “just trying to do the best they can.”
About 700,000 federal employees laid off without pay, and nearly 700,000 more federal employees worked without pay during the shutdown.
Affected workers say the shutdown is a continuation of attacks they suffered during the lockdown. Trump administrationFrom massive layoffs (many of which have been overturned or blocked in federal courts) to sweeping budget cuts, calls for early retirement or severance pay, and threats to withhold wages from workers laid off during the shutdown.
Nancy Pelosi, a decades-long presence on Capitol Hill, is leaving Congress.
California The Democratic representative and first woman to serve as speaker announced Thursday that she is resigning. Congresstwo years after leaving the leadership of the House of Representatives.
Even when he was no longer a leader, the 85-year-old remained extremely influential among Democratsquietly advising his party during Trump's second term. In 2024, she played a key role in pushing Biden to abandon the presidential race after a disastrous debate performance against Trump.
Trump announces plan to lower cost of weight-loss drugs and expand access to them
agreement will make oral versions of GLP-1, which have not yet reached the market but are expected to be approved in the coming months, available at $150 per month for starting doses. The average price for these injections will be about $350 and “will trend downward” to $245 a month over the next two years, the Trump administration said.
Trump calls the drugs the “fat drug,” a term for the semaglutide or tirzepatide shots, known by the brand names Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound.
Senate blocks Democrats' attempt to check Trump's power over Venezuela strikes
The resolution was voted down 49-51, largely along party lines, a month after a previous attempt to stop strikes against suspected drug-trafficking vessels in international waters also failed 48-51.
The new resolution narrowed Republicans' options, but Sens. Rand Paul and Lisa Murkowski remained the only two Republicans to cross party lines to support the resolution. Susan Collins and Thom Tillis, who had expressed doubts about the strikes, voted against.
What else happened today:
Are we catching up? This is what happened on November 5, 2025.
