The Federal Aviation Administration announced it would reduce air traffic by 10% across 40 "high volume" markets beginning this Friday.

The reduction was prompted due to staffing shortages amid the ongoing government shutdown, which entered its 36th day, the longest in U.S. history.

What they're saying:

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the agency is not going to wait for a problem to act, saying the shutdown is causing staffing pressures and "we can’t ignore it."

What's next:

Bedford and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said they will meet later Wednesday with airline leaders to figure out how to safely implement the reduction.

Flight delays during shutdown

Dig deeper:

As of Wednesday, more than 1,000 flight delays within, into or out of the U.S. have been delayed, with 90

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