• Flight cuts: More than 1,000 flights have been canceled and at least 5,000 delayed today, mostly due to a combination of air traffic controller staffing issues and an FAA-mandated 4% cut to flights because of the government shutdown. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned the percentage could rise to 15-20% if it doesn’t end soon. Are you impacted? Tell us about it. Track cancellations here.
• Impasse remains: The parties remain gridlocked on resolving the shutdown. Majority Leader John Thune today dismissed a Democratic offer, which would include extending enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies for a year, as a “non-starter.”
• SCOTUS weighs in: Meanwhile, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson tonight temporarily paused a lower court order that required the Trump administration to cover full food stamp benefits for tens of millions of Americans in November, siding with the administration on a short-term basis.
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Our live coverage of the government shutdown and its impact on US air travel has wrapped for the day. Please scroll through the posts below for all the details, and read the latest here.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson on Friday temporarily paused a lower court order that required the Trump administration to cover full food stamp benefits for tens of millions of Americans in November, siding with the administration on a short-term basis in a legal fight that has quickly become a defining confrontation of the government shutdown.
The upshot is the Department of Agriculture will not have to immediately honor a lower court order which required it to transfer $4 billion to be spent on the program by the end of the day.
The decision, while temporary, could put at risk the full benefits for millions of Americans who rely on the program to feed themselves and their families.
The order does not resolve the underlying legal questions raised by the case – and the administration has already committed to using contingency funds to partially pay benefits. Rather, Jackson’s “administrative stay” freezes any additional action by the administration to give an appeals court additional time to review the case.
Jackson is the justice assigned to handle emergency appeals from the 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals.
The legal fight over food stamps has emerged as a central pressure point between all three branches during the historically long government shutdown because it is one of the easiest to understand and most tangible impacts of that impasse so far. At stake is food assistance that nearly 42 million Americans rely on.
It’s unclear how the case will ultimately impact the billions of dollars spent in federal SNAP funding.
Read more about the case here.
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport was under a ground stop for a portion of Friday evening, according to an alert from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Air Traffic Control System Command Center.
The ground stop affected flights departing for DCA only. It was lifted at 9:40 p.m. ET, the command center reported.
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Travelers feel impact of reduced airport operations
03:46 • Source: CNN
Travelers feel impact of reduced airport operations
03:46
Air traffic control facilities across the country were short-staffed 32 times today, according to a recently released operations plan, and delays were hours long.
The problems continue, despite cuts to hundreds of flights designed to relieve stress on controllers struggling to deal with the government shutdown.
Staffing Shortages:
Nine staffing shortages were reported at control towers including Austin, Texas, Burbank, California, Newark, New Orleans, Ontario, California, San Francisco (twice), Tampa and Washington, DC.
Twelve reports noted TRACONs, which handle flights arriving or departing airports, were understaffed, including Atlanta, Chicago, Houston (twice), Newark (twice), Las Vegas, Orlando, Phoenix, and Southern California (three areas).
And eight Air Route Traffic Control Center that handle flights at high altitudes, were also short-staffed in Albuquerque, Atlanta, Boston, Cleveland, Dallas (twice) Jacksonville and Washington, DC.
Delays:
Flights were delayed an average of four hours tonight heading to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, according to the FAA. Flights headed to Houston’s William Hobby Airport were delayed an average of nearly 3 hours. The city’s other main airport, George Bush Intercontinental, saw incoming delays of 46 minutes, and departures were delayed 30 minutes. Flights headed to Phoenix were delayed 90 minutes and those headed to Chicago’s O’Hare and San Francisco International Airports were delayed an hour. Dallas Love Field had delays of 30 minutes and Austin, Texas and Manchester, New Hampshire both saw roughly 45-minute delays.
Since the start of the shutdown, Fridays have historically been one of the worst days for air traffic controller staffing. Union leaders say some controllers have taken other jobs to try to make ends meet during the shutdown.
There have been 482 reports of staffing problems requiring action since the start of the shutdown, according to FAA operations plans. The number is more than four times what was seen on the same dates last year.
Republican senators harshly criticized the Democrats’ proposal to extend Obamacare premium subsidies, as the Senate left Friday without a deal to end the government shutdown.
“I don’t think that’s reasonable. I don’t think that they’re serious. I think they’re doing that actually to sabotage,” Sen. Bill Cassidy told reporters of the offer.
GOP Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama criticized Democrats, arguing they are playing politics in proposing to extend the subsidies for a year.
“I think Democrats have taken this too far. They have put politics ahead of the people that they serve. At the end of the day, people know what’s happening with flights. They know what’s happening with FAA. People not getting paid and literally having to be uber drivers at night to try to be able to make ends meet,” Britt said. “I mean, it’s time to be the adults in the room. It’s time to open the government.”
Britt seemed optimistic about the likelihood of the Senate passing the Republican-led stopgap measure to fund the government. The Senate will be in session tomorrow but they have not announced if there will be any votes.
“I feel good about where we are and feel good about the opportunity to move forward, hopefully this weekend,” Britt told reporters.
Sen. Lindsey Graham repeated his criticism of the Obamacare premium subsidies.
“I am not going to continue this program as it exists for a year, not even one day. We have some better ideas coming. The best way to end this nightmare for the American people is to fix this program so that people can get cost reductions in their health care, and insurance companies will not get exorbitant profits,” the South Carolina Republican said.
Rick Scott of Florida called the proposal which Minority Leader Chuck Schumer offered “a good joke.”
“His proposal is a good joke,” Scott said, later adding, “he’s holding these poor people that need food, or these people that want to pay their mortgage. He’s holding them ransom. And ransom for fraud and just money goes directly to insurance companies.”
Nadine Cohen said it is “heartbreaking” to think that she may not be able to go visit her two granddaughters in Texas later this month due to the slowdown of air traffic and ongoing government shutdown.
Cohen, who hopes to celebrate her 53rd birthday at the beginning of December with her son and his family, said she is checking the status of her flight every day. She is due to fly out of Detroit to Austin in about a week and a half.
Though neither of those airports are on the list of major hubs that have been cutting flights, there has been a ripple effect and delays.
Her son, his wife and their two daughters, aged 8 and 3, are stationed at Fort Hood, she said. When her son was deployed in Lithuania last year, she flew down every other month. Now, she hasn’t seen them since July.
“If this doesn’t work, I’m sure I will not be able to see them until spring and that’s gonna break their hearts and mine, too. They are my everything, they are what makes me make sure I get to my doctor’s appointments and I was so excited and then this happened,” Cohen said.
Cohen said she has some health problems and is less able to travel in the winter, when weather conditions worsen in Michigan. Plus, her son and his family will have to move bases soon, she said, adding to the uncertainty about the next visit.
Cohen, a retired chef, told stories about how she and her granddaughter would cook together when she was there, and her oldest granddaughter is always “on my heels” when they are in the kitchen together.
For now, Cohen said her bags are still packed – along with the pound cakes and cookies she baked and froze for the journey – and she remains hopeful they will reach their destination in Texas.
It’s day 38 and the government is still shut down. Industries across the country are feeling it.
Get the latest here:
- Flight disruptions:Since the shutdown began more than a month ago, airlines have reported widespread staffing issues, leading to flight delays and cancellations. Yesterday, the Federal Aviation Administration announced it would reduce capacity by 4% at 40 busy US airports today. The percentage could jump to 15% or 20% if the shutdown does not end “relatively soon,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told Fox News today. And even when the government reopens, flights will not go back to normal immediately because all air traffic controllers may not return to work right away, according to Duffy. He also said the cuts are due to safety concerns but acknowledged the exact number is somewhat arbitrary. CNN has been speaking with travelers who say they are at risk of missing weddings, surgeries, vacations and work due to the cancellations.
- Upcoming cancellations: American Airlines will cut 220 flights from its Saturday schedule, a spokesperson told CNN. United Airlines, meanwhile, announced hundreds of cuts through Tuesday. Southwest Airlines says it will cancel about 100 flights Saturday and roughly 150 Sunday.
- More effects: The economic impact of the shutdown, which has reached day 38, is “far worse” than expected “because it’s gone on for so long,” National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told Fox Business today, predicting a downturn in GDP if the shutdown continues.
- No end in sight: Majority Leader John Thune on today quickly rejected Senate Democrats’ proposal for reopening the government, dismissing the offer as a “nonstarter.” Democrats’ offer, laid out earlier Friday by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, included a one-year extension of the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies and a stopgap bill, along with three full-year funding bills. President Donald Trump called on Senate lawmakers today to remain in Washington, DC, until an agreement to end the shutdown is reached. The Senate will return to session tomorrow but it appears unlikely lawmakers will take any votes to reopen the government.
- SNAP benefits update: The US Department of Agriculture announced today it is working to fully fund food stamp benefits for November to comply with a federal court order and the process should be completed later in the day. Trump asked the Supreme Court tonight to block a lower court ruling requiring the administration to fully cover food stamp benefits for tens of millions of Americans in November.
CNN’s Pete Muntean, Elise Hammond, Aaron Cooper, Kit Maher, Alexandra Skores, Andy Rose, Aditi Sangal, Rebekah Riess, Tami Luhby, Devan Cole, Sarah Ferris, Ellis Kim, Alejandra Jaramillo, John Fritze, Pete Muntean and Zoe Sottile contributed reporting.
The Senate will return to session on Saturday, but it appears unlikely lawmakers will take any votes to reopen the government.
“We’re here, and we’ll see if something comes together that we can vote on. It remains to be seen,” Majority Leader John Thune told reporters shortly after the chamber failed to adopt a Republican-led measure to pay certain federal workers during the shutdown.
Thune said discussions and conversations among members continue.
President Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court tonight to block a lower court ruling requiring the administration to fully cover food stamp benefits for tens of millions of Americans in November.
The emergency request came hours after an administration official announced the government was working to comply with the ruling issued a day earlier by US District Judge John McConnell.
The administration had made a similar emergency appeal to a Boston-based federal appeals court this morning, but the court had not yet weighed in by the time the US Department of Agriculture sent guidance to states saying it was working to comply with McConnell’s directive. In a brief order tonight, the appeals court declined to temporarily put payments on hold while it reviewed the case.
The administration asked the Supreme Court to issue an immediate, administrative hold on the case by 9:30 p.m. ET.
“Such a funding lapse is a crisis,” the administration told the Supreme Court in its emergency appeal. “But it is a crisis occasioned by congressional failure and one that can only be solved through congressional action.”
“The district court’s ruling,” US Solicitor General D. John Sauer told the Supreme Court, “is untenable at every turn.”
United and American Airlines have both announced hundreds of flight cancellations in the wake of the FAA’s mandatory 4% cut.
American Airlines will cut 220 flights from their Saturday schedule, a spokesperson told CNN.
United Airlines, meanwhile, announced hundreds of cuts through Tuesday
Correction: An earlier version of the headline on this post misstated the number of cancellations planned by the airlines.
Inside Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, delays and canceled flights continue to mount as the longest government shutdown in US history drags on.
CNN’s Jake Tapper is at the airport:
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Jake Tapper reports from airport with delays from shutdown
CNN’s Jake Tapper reports from inside Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on the delays and cancelled flights continuing to mount as the longest government shutdown in US history drags on.
01:43 • Source: CNN
Jake Tapper reports from airport with delays from …
01:43
Southwest Airlines says it will cancel about 100 flights Saturday and roughly 150 Sunday to comply with the Trump administration’s mandated 4% flight cut.
The carrier says it has already reduced its schedule by 4% through Monday at 34 airports of the 117 airport it serves.
In a statement, Southwest added the vast majority of its flights will not be disrupted. The airline is contacting affected customers directly.
“Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees,” reads the statement. “We continue to urge Congress to immediately resolve its impasse and restore the National Airspace System to its full capacity.”
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What are your rights if your flight is delayed or canceled?
02:57 • Source: CNN
What are your rights if your flight is delayed or canceled?
02:57
Fliers across the country are missing key life events and are unsure how to reach their destinations with more than 1,000 flights canceled and a further 4,500 delayed today.
Brian Kelly, founder of a travel website called The Points Guy, provided tips to travelers experiencing a canceled or delayed flight.
Here’s what Kelly says fliers should know during flight disruptions:
- Book a refundable backup flight if affordable and remember to cancel it if needed.
- Check your flight status proactively to ensure your reservation is still active, as airlines may not notify passengers.
- You are entitled to a full cash refund if your flight is canceled or delayed over three hours domestically.
- Use a credit card with flight disruption coverage or travel insurance.
- Use apps like Flighty to monitor flight status and airport conditions. Most major airports have their own apps, along with most airlines.
- If you reserved a nonrefundable hotel at which you are unable to stay due to a canceled flight, file a claim with your credit card company or travel insurance.
Sheri Perry’s husband has been a volunteer with the Red Cross for several years and has been on more than a dozen deployments across the country.
His most recent deployment was closer to home this time. Perry and her husband live in Lancaster, Ohio. He drove about four hours to the site of the deadly UPS plane crash in Kentucky to offer support as a chaplain with the spiritual care section of the Red Cross, she told CNN.
Perry is worried other Red Cross volunteers may not be able to reach the next disaster as quickly, due to flight delays and cancellations across the country. She said from the message her husband received about going to Kentucky, it seemed like the organization was looking for people in the area first.
The Red Cross told CNN when there is a disaster, local responders who are already active in communities are the ones who jump into action first. If they need additional support, the organization then taps in to its network of volunteers across the US, “traveling by any means necessary” to help, spokesperson Stephanie Fox said in an email.
Perry said her husband has had to fly to deployments before and has responded to disasters in places like New Orleans and Florida.
“This is hurricane season and it could be the drop of the hat when there’s another disaster,” Perry said.
The Red Cross said its “deployment teams are monitoring the situation and will adjust our travel arrangements as needed.”
On a more personal level, Perry said her husband also has mobility issues and she would be worried about him navigating delays and crowds at the airport.
“If it was someplace where he had to fly out, I would’ve suggested that he not do it, that he missed this deployment just because I was afraid of him getting stuck midway,” Perry said.
Airlines started implementing a 4% reduction in domestic flights at 40 of the busiest US airports today, following an order from the Federal Aviation Administration. Hundreds of more flights are now being canceled through the weekend.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has warned the percentage could rise to 15-20% if the government shutdown doesn’t end soon.
Here’s an airline-by-airline look at the flights that have been canceled so far:
Lewis McClendon is strategizing on his travel plans for the rest of November after two of his Delta Air Lines flights scheduled for Friday morning were canceled.
The 33-year-old was set to travel from Miami to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, when he received a notification yesterday afternoon the connecting flight from Miami to Atlanta was canceled. Delta rebooked the flight but it was canceled again later in the evening.
McClendon made the decision to cancel the Delta flight and schedule another one with American Airlines for Saturday morning.
McClendon travels often for work as a choreographer and has two trips planned this month to California and North Carolina from Pennsylvania. With concerns another flight could get canceled, McClendon is booking two flights for every trip he has planned for the rest of the month.
“For all my flights within the US, I’m just booking two flights per location,” McClendon told CNN. “If my Delta flight goes, because that’s who I usually fly with, then I’ll just cancel the American one.”
McClendon has already spent more than $1,800 after doubling up on plane tickets.
“I honestly only budget for up to $500 on a flight, unless I’m going from Atlanta to California. With the California flight now, I had to purchase two $600 flights, which I’ll end up getting one back but it takes like seven business days once you cancel. Sometimes it’s faster, but that’s at least what you have to prepare for,” McClendon said.
“Thankfully, I’m able to financially afford that but I just can’t imagine other people in this situation that could not afford that option,” he said.
For Neil Lyon, getting from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to Houston, Texas, by early next week is a non-negotiable, even as airlines across the United States are canceling hundreds of flights due to a shortage of federal aviation workers.
Lyon needs to be in Houston for a cancer-related surgery and plans to fly into Houston Hobby airport, one of the airports on the list of 40 hubs cutting flights. Houston’s other airport, George Bush Houston Intercontinental, is also on the list.
“It’s just adding what is unnecessary stress to a situation that’s already filled with legitimate stress,” he said.
He and his wife have already put several back-up plans in place, he told CNN. First, they moved up their schedule to fly out a day early on Sunday. They also booked a second ticket to fly into Austin, with a plan to then drive to Houston.
If both of those flights get canceled, Lyon said he and his wife plan to drive to Houston — a 12-hour drive, at least. While Lyon said he believes this is a low-probability scenario, the prospect of a long car ride after surgery has left him “incredibly frustrated by the situation.”
“What I’m worried about is getting to Houston in time for a procedure that’s been scheduled for quite some time and there’s some urgency,” Lyon said. “I’m dealing with this, and I’m just thinking about the tens of thousands, or millions, who are dealing with other really serious circumstances that are impacted by what the situation is.”
Lyon acknowledged that even when the shutdown ends, there still will be lingering issues. Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said previously that controllers “are resigning every day now” because she shutdown is dragging on.
“I’m frustrated for myself, and I’m frustrated for millions of other people,” Lyon said.
North Carolina residents could see additional funds on their EBT cards as early as this weekend, the state’s Department of Health and Human Services announced today.
This comes after the US Department of Agriculture announced it is working to fully fund food stamp benefits for November to comply with a federal court order.
North Carolina’s health department says more than 586,000 households relying on SNAP had partial payments loaded onto their EBT cards this morning. The department is now working with the federal government to get additional funding for November, according to a news release.
“Now that the federal government has allowed for full distribution, our team will continue to work as quickly as possible to get the remainder of benefits out to people who are depending on these funds,” North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai said.
We’re bringing you the latest on flight disruptions across US airports as reductions ordered by the Federal Aviation Administration are in effect.
Here’s the latest on delays and cancellations in the United States as of 4:35 p.m. ET, according to FlightAware:
Total delays: 4,022
Total cancellations: 977
Not all delays are shutdown-related. These numbers also account for things like mechanical and weather issues. However, the numbers indicate that the flight cancellations have not fixed the staffing problems, therefore, causing delays.
President Donald Trump on Friday called on Senate lawmakers to remain in Washington, DC, until an agreement to end the government shutdown, now the longest in US history, is reached.
“The United States Senate should not leave town until they have a Deal to end the Democrat Shutdown. If they can’t reach a Deal, the Republicans should terminate the Filibuster, IMMEDIATELY, and take care of our Great American Workers!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Trump this week has told Republicans this week that they are getting “killed” politically by the impasse and has insisted that the best way to reopen the government is to eliminate the Senate filibuster, a move GOP leadership has opposed.
