Flight disruptions could worsen as the United States government shutdown enters its 23rd day on Thursday, Oct. 23, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Republican leaders in Congress warned. They said air traffic controllers have now missed their first full payday, sparking fears of staff shortages and potential safety risks across the nation’s air network.
About 13,000 air traffic controllers and about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers must work without pay during the government shutdown, according to reports. Comptrollers will miss their first full payday on Tuesday as the US government shutdown continues.
Last week, Sean Duffy said that since the shutdown began, more than half of flight delays – 53 percent – were due to the absence of air traffic controllers, compared to just 5 percent under normal circumstances.
Meanwhile, some US states including Minnesota, California, Pennsylvania and Texas warned food aid recipients this week that their benefits may not be distributed in November if the federal government shutdown drags on due to lack of funding. Also read | How this 2025 shutdown became the second largest in history
According to reports, warnings to food aid recipients have been issued to more than 20 states as they point to a lack of benefits for more than 41 million people who receive assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and nearly 7 million who receive assistance from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC, Reuters reported.
Minerva Delgado, director of coalitions and advocacy at the Alliance to End Hunger, said: “It’s going to hurt families if this continues at a time when we know families are struggling to make ends meet.”
In addition to warning of food stamp gaps, some states also warned of possible food stamp closures, and some aid recipients pointed to food banks.
“SNAP benefits for November will not be released if the federal government shutdown continues beyond October 27,” the Texas Health and Human Services Commission website said. Also read | Inside Donald Trump’s 2025 US Government Shutdown: What’s Different This Time?
“We encourage everyone who receives SNAP to learn about free food sources in their community and make a plan for what they will do if they do not receive their food benefits on time in November,” the Oregon Department of Human Services said in a news release.
