The United States has canceled thousands of scheduled flights for the current weekend due to the ongoing government shutdown, which is depleting the number of air traffic controllers, increasing pressure on political circles. The U.S. government announced it will require airlines to cancel flights starting today, "to alleviate pressure" on air traffic control, which faces a growing staff shortage due to the "shutdown." Transportation Secretary Sean Davie said at a press conference: "We will work to reduce the number of flights by 10% to 40% at the most congested airports." He added: "There is a shortage of about 2,000 air traffic controllers," noting the need to "alleviate pressure" by reducing the number of flights they oversee. This occurs as the U.S. government shutdown enters its 38th day, surpassing the previous record set during Donald Trump's first term. The shutdown began on October 1 when Republicans and Democrats failed to agree on a new budget. As a result, hundreds of thousands of federal employees have been furloughed, and hundreds of thousands have been forced to work without pay until the crisis ends. More than 60,000 air traffic controllers and transportation security personnel fall into the second category, but instead of working without pay for weeks, many are absent from work.
