FILE PHOTO: A traveler awaits their delayed luggage after United Airlines grounded flights due to a tech outage at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, U.S., August 6, 2025. REUTERS/Ryan Murphy/File Photo
As the ongoing government shutdown continues to put "immense strain" on air travel due to widespread delays, cancellation and airport closures, Vice President JD Vance warns that flying over the Thanksgiving holiday could be disastrous, according toNewsweek.
In a Thursday meeting at the White House, Vance said that air travel "could be a disaster, it really could be, because at that point you’re talking about people missing three paychecks, they’ve missed four paychecks."
During a government shutdown, air traffic controllers are deemed "essential workers" and are required to work without pay. The current shutdown has forced over 13,000 controllers to work under mounting financial stress.
Despite the stress, Vance said the controllers "are doing heroic things to make it work as well as it possibly can."
Last year, Thanksgiving travel hit record numbers—1.7 million more people traveled than in 2023, with 79.9 million going to destinations at least 50 miles from their homes, according to the American Automobile Association.
Airport delays and flight cancellations have plagued travelers since the shutdown started on October 1, with staffing reportedly down up to 50 percent in some areas, Newsweek reports.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has said that the shutdown is hurting government air traffic training and recruiting, and that some funds for trainee stipends are “about to run out," according to CNBC.
"Every single person I talk to, to a word, they are worried that the delays reach a point where it makes it very, very hard for the American people to fly," Vance said on Thursday.
Duffy also made a plea to end the shutdown, saying, "Don’t hold us hostage. Don’t hold American families’ travel hostage. Don’t hold air traffic controllers hostage. Open the government. Have a conversation. Let’s get it resolved."