Potential Shutdown Deal Could Avoid Travel Disruption
Photo Credit: The U.S. Congress needs to act or else there will be a federal government shutdown in mid-March 2025. Unsplash / Darren Halstead
Skift Take
Risks to travel are minimal if a government shutdown is short, but the longer it grows on, the more disruption in the industry can take hold.
Democrats reduced the chances that the U.S. government would shut down this weekend when Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer said in a floor speech on Thursday that he planned to support a Republican funding bill.
If Congress and President Trump pass a spending bill to fund the government, they would avoid having large parts of the U.S. government stop operating at 12:01 am Saturday.
Here’s what’s at risk for travel.
Why Does This Matter for Travel?Unless Congress allocates funding to hundreds of government agencies and departments, thousands of federal workers would be furloughed.
There would be an exception for federal employees deemed as “essential,” who would still have to work through a government shutdown.
Much of government work related to the travel sector falls into that "essential" category, such as airport security agents, customs officials, and air traffic controllers.
However, if a shutdown continues, the travel sector could face issues. For example, during the partial, 34-day government shutdown between late 2018 and early 2019 — the longest ever — the travel industry faced issues including garbage overflowing at national parks, long security lines at airports, and flight delays.
Here’s how federal shutdowns typically affect specific parts of the travel industry.
Air Traffic Controllers and TSA Agents
