A shutdown plan released by the Department of Transportation (DOT) on Thursday involves the furlough of more than 10,000 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The plan also states 13,835 air traffic controllers will not receive pay during the shutdown, which follows an extensive shutdown from late last year that put a strain on the U.S. aviation system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ongoing partial government shutdown is set to continue until at least Tuesday, with House Democrats not committing to providing the votes necessary to fast-track approval of a funding package for the government to reopen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPortions of DOT are affected by a lapse in appropriations. Website information may be outdated, transactions may be delayed, and inquiries may not be answered until funding is restored,\u201d a message on the DOT\u2019s website currently reads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last year\u2019s shutdown put a heavy strain on U.S. aviation, with more than 4,500 flights canceled for one weekend in mid-November. At one point, flights at 40 airports throughout the U.S. were reduced by 6 percent by the FAA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There have also been wider concerns about American aviation in the last year due to multiple notable incidents involving aircraft, including a deadly collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight in January 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Saturday, President Trump said he hoped \u201cenough people will use their heads\u201d to quickly end the partial shutdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s going fine,\u201d Trump said of government funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe had a big GDP. \u2026 I lost a point and a half because of the last [shutdown],\u201d he said. \u201cSo, we\u2019ll see what happens. I think the Democrats don\u2019t want it to happen. Makes them look very bad, but it\u2019s not a good thing for the country. So hopefully enough people will use their heads.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n