When the clock struck midnight on October 1, 2025, the U.S. government officially shut down after lawmakers failed to agree on a new federal budget. A standoff over healthcare spending and foreign aid is what brought negotiations to a halt, forcing hundreds of thousands of federal employees into furlough.

For travelers, the most glaring question was how this shutdown might affect air travel. The 2025 government shutdown shows a similar pattern. Planes are still flying, albeit with delays, but the agencies that keep them safe—primarily the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)—are now operating under intense pressure. TSA officers and air traffic controllers are all expected to continue showing up, even as paychecks are paused and morale

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