KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images
- Travel companies are urging Congress to end the shutdown to avoid travel chaos over Thanksgiving.
- The days around Thanksgiving are often among the busiest travel days of the year.
- Airports are already experiencing an increase in delays due to shortages of air traffic controllers.
Travel companies gave lawmakers a blunt warning on what to expect if they don’t end the government shutdown before Thanksgiving.
The US Travel Association sent a letter to congressional leaders on Monday urging them to end the shutdown and avoid the chaos that they say will result if the funding lapse persists through the busy travel holiday.
“With Thanksgiving, the busiest travel period of the year, imminently approaching, the consequences of a continued shutdown will be immediate, deeply felt by millions of American travelers, and economically devastating to communities in every state,” the letter said. It was addressed to the party leaders of both chambers and was signed by over 500 travel companies and groups.
The letter said that the United States’ travel economy has already lost $4 billion as a result of the shutdown, and that billions more could be lost if the government remains closed over Thanksgiving. The Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving, as well as the Sunday after, are typically among the busiest travel days of the year.
“When staffing shortages worsen, airport wait times grow longer and flight delays and cancellations become more frequent, threatening to derail family travel plans across the country,” the letter continued, adding, “Now is the moment to demonstrate leadership and prevent a Thanksgiving travel crisis.”
Since the government shutdown on October 1, airports across the United States have already experienced an increase in disruptions and delays attributed to shortages of air traffic controllers, who are working without pay during the shutdown.
The government shut down over an impasse between Democratic and Republican lawmakers regarding the extension of subsidies for Affordable Care Act health insurance. Without the subsidies, insurance premiums could go up for those who purchase insurance through the exchanges.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has said that some air traffic controllers are not coming to work because they have to find a job that will actually pay them.
Vice President JD Vance told reporters at the White House last week that Thanksgiving travel “could be a disaster.”
“It really could be, because at that point you’re talking about people who have missed three paychecks. They’ve missed four paychecks,” he said. “How many of them are not going to show up for work?”
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