Trump Transport Goon Says Holiday Flights Will Be Reduced to a ‘Trickle’

MAGA’s Transport Secretary has offered a frank and dire assessment of Thanksgiving travel carnage ahead of the government shutdown entering its sixth week.

“It’s only going to get worse,” Sean Duffy told CNN Sunday after the Federal Aviation Administration Friday ordered airlines to cut hundreds of flights at 40 of the busiest airports across the country.

“Two weeks before Thanksgiving, you’re going to see air travel reduced to a trickle,” he went on. “You’re gonna have people who wanna get home for the holidays, who wanna see their family, who wanna celebrate this great American holiday. Listen, many of them are not gonna be able to get on an airplane.”

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy gestures during a press conference on air traffic controller pay and the government shutdown at the U.S. Capitol on October 23, 2025 in Washington, DC. — Duffy has conceded the air travel situation is bad and says things are only going to get worse before Thanksgiving. Eric Lee/Getty Images

The cuts come as air traffic controllers continue working without pay amid what is now the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Roughly 750,000 federal workers have been furloughed, with estimated losses to the economy ranging from $7 to $15 billion, or 0.1-2 percent shrinkage in GDP, for each week it has lasted so far.

Donald Trump, his aides and allies have sought to frame the funding lapse as a result of unreasonable Democratic demands for increased spending on healthcare. Dozens of federal agency websites now carry banners blaming the shutdown on the “radical left” despite criticism these notices violate the 1939 Hatch Act ban on federal employees engaging in political messaging.

For the most part, that effort does not appear to be working. Latest polls show 45 percent of voters blame Republicans for the impasse, against just 33 percent who blame Democrats.

Duffy was swift to insist during his CNN appearance Trump had made it clear he should do whatever in his power to “minimize the pain on Americans.” He added the situation is now so desperate he’d even received an offer from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to use Defense Department air traffic controllers at civilian airports.

According to tracking service FlightAware, more than 1,500 flights were canceled Saturday, with a further 1,000 canceled as of Sunday morning. Airlines have scrambled to manage the fallout, canceling hundreds of flights and waiving change and cancellation fees for affected travelers.

Delta, United, and American Airlines are among those offering refunds and rebooking options, while budget carriers like Frontier and JetBlue are extending similar flexibility. Even with Amtrak and bus companies preparing to accommodate stranded travelers, fears continue to mount that even if the deadlock ends soon, it may take days for the nation’s air travel infrastructure to recover.

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