Trump demands unpaid air traffic controllers 'get back to work' as chaos worsens
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Live Reporting
Edited by Brandon Livesay and Oliver O'Connell
Flight cancellations only to get worse under federal guidelinespublished at 20:12 GMT
20:12 GMT
Image source, EPA
Air travel disruption began last week when the US Federal Aviation Administration instructed airlines to limit domestic flights as the air traffic system struggled with limited numbers of controllers available to work shifts.
The cancellations are only expected to get worse as the number of cancellations grows.
Currently, 4% of flights are cancelled, but that increases to 6% tomorrow.
On Thursday, that goes up to 8%, culminating in a 10% cut which will take effect on Friday.
Why did the shutdown happen?published at 19:43 GMT
19:43 GMT
Here's a quick reminder of how we got here.
The US federal government shutdown started on 1 October because Republicans and Democrats could not agree to pass a bill funding government services past that date, when the previous federal budget expired.
In the US, Congress must approve a spending plan for the president to sign into law.
Republicans control both chambers of Congress, but in the Senate they were short of the 60 votes needed to pass the spending bill.
That gave Democrats leverage to try to push some of their priorities, mainly funding for health care. Democrats were seeking to reverse cuts Trump made this year to Medicaid, a government healthcare programme used by millions of elderly, disabled and low-income people.
Democrats were also trying to extend subsidies from the Affordable Care Act that lower the monthly cost of health care for millions of Americans.
The new deal reached by several Democratic senators and Republicans includes an agreement for a vote in December on extending healthcare subsidies that are due to expire this year.
'Unacceptable': Hundreds of thousands caught up in air travel disruption at weekendpublished at 19:22 GMT
19:22 GMT
US air travellers have been hit hard by cancellations and significant delays during the government shutdown. Last Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration began limiting domestic flights at the 40 busiest airports to ease pressure on air traffic controllers who are working without pay.
Over the weekend, things got worse. American Airlines alone "saw nearly
1,400 cancellations and more than 57,000 delay minutes attributed to air traffic control,
impacting nearly 250,000 customers," according to an internal memo. "This is simply unacceptable, and everyone deserves better," David Seymour, the airlines' chief operating officer, wrote to staff.
The travel disruption was industry wide. On Saturday, more than 1,400 flights across US were cancelled and nearly 6,000 were delayed, escalating the problems that began on Friday when more than 5,000 flights were either cancelled or delayed.
The FAA's rule limiting flights will grow from 4% last Friday to 10% this week without a deal by lawmakers on a funding the government.
Shutdown has already taken a toll on air traffic controllerspublished at 19:13 GMT
19:13 GMT
Earlier today at the NATCA union press conference, an air traffic controller explained the toll that not receiving two paycheques has had on her family.
"That uncertainty and that financial strain is becoming unbearable," Amy Lark, whose husband is also a controller, said.
"Yesterday, my kids asked me how long we could stay in our house. Having to answer that question was heartbreaking."
Lark added that her coworkers are questioning if they can pay their mortgages, and some have to figure out how they're going to come into work because they can no longer pay for childcare.
Quote Message
"That uncertainty, that fear, creates a distraction that no air traffic controller should have to carry when we're ensuring the safety of the flying public."
Amy Lark, Air traffic controller
Shutdown-induced flight chaos enters second weekpublished at 18:36 GMT
18:36 GMT
Image source, ePA
Air travel in the US remains chaotic due to staffing shortages.
Today, there have been over 4,500 US flights delayed because of the chaos, as well as nearly 1,800 flight cancellations, according to aviation tracking site FlightAware.
Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it would cut up to 10% of flights at 40 of the nation's busiest airports to keep the skies safe with fewer air traffic controllers.
Trump threatened earlier this morning to dock the pay of air traffic controllers who took time off while going without pay during the shut down.
Later in the day, his Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy backed him up, saying air traffic controllers "NEED to show up for work".
Air traffic controllers have been calling out sick in larger numbers because of their lack of pay, leading to the FAA's directive and the cancellations and delays.
Widespread effects of the government shutdownpublished at 18:23 GMT
18:23 GMT
Grace Eliza Goodwin Live page reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Passengers look at a board showing flight delays and cancellations in red at Orlando International Airport on Sunday
The government shutdown - now on its 41st day but with an end in sight - has had widespread effects across the country, from reduced air travel capacity to federal workers not receiving paycheques to the shuttering of federally funded museums.
Federal workers
Around 1.4 million government workers have been going without pay during the shutdown - some, like air traffic controllers, are still required to show up for work while others are furloughed, meaning they don't have to work during the shutdown.
Smithsonian museums in Washington DC and New York City, which receive federal funds, had to close their doors last month when their funding ran out. That impacted travellers' vacations as well as weddings that were scheduled at those venues.
Snap food aid programme
Funding for the US's largest food aid programme, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap), was thrown into limbo when funding ran out on 1 November. More than 42 million low-income Americans rely on the programme to buy groceries.
As a legal battle played out in the courts and the Trump administration issued conflicting guidance on how much Snap funds could be distributed, many recipients had to make do with less money for groceries.
Some states had started tapping into their own emergency funds to pay full, rather than partial, benefits for the month of November. The Trump administration ordered states to stop paying those full benefits on Saturday.
US transportation chief backs Trump's push to not pay air traffic controllerspublished at 18:10 GMT
18:10 GMT
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy now says he is backing the president's proposal threat to dock the pay of air traffic controllers who took time off while missing they paycheques because of the government shutdown.
"Air traffic controllers NEED to show up for work," Duffy writes on social media.
"To those who have worked throughout the shutdown — thank you for your patriotism and commitment to keeping our skies safe. I will work with Congress to reward your commitment.”
Air traffic remains disrupted in the US today, with more than 1,700 flight cancellations already in the US by early afternoon.
This legislation would reopen the government - but not for longpublished at 18:02 GMT
18:02 GMT
Ana Faguy Reporting from Capitol Hill
If the proposed short-term spending plan passes the Senate and then the House and it’s signed by President Donald Trump, the US federal government will reopen.
But it will only reopen for some 80 days, before Congress faces the challenge of coming to a spending agreement once again.
At the end of January, this deal will expire again and another government shutdown could be on the horizon.
While some have argued for a permanent solution to funding the government, other lawmakers felt the impacts on everyday Americans - flights delays, furloughs and lack of food assistance benefits - were enough to back a temporary plan.
Shutdown's 'end is in sight', Republican Senate leader sayspublished at 17:45 GMT
17:45 GMT
Image source, Reuters
We've also just heard from Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune, striking an optimistic note about the outcome of negotiations on a deal to end the shutdown.
He says he's "glad to be able to say that eight Democrats joined Republicans last night to take the first step to reopen the government".
Thune says that the proposal includes funding for food assistance programmes like Snap and WIC and other "critical priorities".
"The end is in sight," he says, asking senators to not prolong debate over final passage of the deal in the Senate.
"I'm hoping that will be hours and not days," Thune says of the deal's ultimate approval in the Senate.
Jeffries declines to comment on Senate Democrats who voted for dealpublished at 17:39 GMT
17:39 GMT
Jeffries says he won't comment on the handful of Democrats who voted against their party line in favour of Republicans' bill to re-open the government.
"They're going to have to explain themselves to their constituents and to the American people," he says, before ending his remarks..
He adds that Senate Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer, have waged a "valiant fight" over the last seven weeks, standing their ground on their demands to extend health insurance subsidies.
Jeffries will not support shutdown deal in the Housepublished at 17:32 GMT
17:32 GMT
Media caption,
Watch: Jeffries will not support shutdown deal
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries says he will not support the deal to end the shutdown.
This means that Republicans will be reliant on their caucus to pass the deal currently awaiting its final vote in the Senate. Republicans hold a narrow majority in the House.
Jeffries blames Republicans for interruptions in food aid programmepublished at 17:30 GMT
17:30 GMT
Jeffries is now speaking about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap), which provides food aid to over 42 million Americans and has been disrupted due to the government shutdown.
Republicans "ripped food from the mouths of hungry children, seniors and veterans so they could reward their billionaire donors with massive tax breaks", Jeffries says.
"They've launched an all-out assault on Snap. They've weaponized hunger and starvation here in America, taking Snap benefits away from more than a million veterans rather than honouring them."
Funding for Snap benefits has become one of the biggest legal and congressional funding battles of the government shutdown.
After weeks of back and forth guidance, the Trump administration on Saturday ordered states to stop paying out full benefits to Snap recipients for the month of November.
Some states had tapped into their own emergency funds to pay out full benefits, which the Trump administration said was "unauthorised", ordering them to pay no more than 65% of the month's benefits.
Image source, Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Republicans 'can no longer hide' when they come back to Congress - Jeffriespublished at 17:26 GMT
17:26 GMT
Jeffries is continuing to attack Republicans on healthcare and the effects of the shutdown, saying the lawmakers "can no longer hide when they return from their vacation".
Democrats have blamed the shutdown on Republicans, saying it happened because Republicans have refused to address healthcare costs that are set to rise with the end of subsidies this month.
Meanwhile, Republicans have said Democrats are at fault and argued that healthcare issues should be addressed separately from a funding bill.
House Democratic minority leader Jeffries pivots shutdown conversation back to healtcharepublished at 17:17 GMT
17:17 GMT
Image source, Reuters
Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is now speaking to reporters about the potential end to the shutdown.
He starts by saying Trump has failed to lower the cost of living in the US as he pledged on the campaign trail, and he says that goes for healthcare costs now too - which is the issue that Democras were hoping to make the focus of the shutdown fight.
Jeffries says tens of millions of Americans will now see thousands of dollars in extra healthcare costs because Republicans would not agree to extending health care subsidies from the Affordable Care Act as part of the shutdown-ending deal.
That was one of Democrats' main goals in keeping the government shut down, to get Republicans to agree to extend the tax credits - due to expire at the end of the year - that lowered the monthly cost of health insurance for around 20 million Americans.
The deal before the Senate today would require a vote on that later this year, but it does not include any concessions from Republicans.
Trump threatens to dock pay of air traffic controllers who took time off while missing paychequespublished at 17:10 GMT
17:10 GMT
In a post on his social media site Truth Social this morning, Trump spoke directly to the air traffic controllers who have been going without pay for weeks.
They need to "get back to work, now!" Trump said, as some workers have been calling in sick as they have gone weeks without pay.
In his post, Trump said he he was "not happy" with workers who took time off during what he called the "Democratic Shutdown Hoax".
"You will have a negative mark, at least in my mind, against your record. If you want to leave service in the near future, please do not hesitate to do so, with NO payment or severance of any kind!" he says. It is not clear that Trump could control air traffic controllers' pay.
He also promised to recommend a $10,000 (£7,600) bonus for air traffic controllers who had taken no time off during the shutdown.
Waiting for updates on Capitol Hillpublished at 16:42 GMT
16:42 GMT
Ana Faguy Reporting from Capitol Hill
I've arrived on Capitol Hill, where many other journalists have also gathered, eagerly awaiting a timeline for today's events.
We’ve heard from the House Republican Leader Mike Johnson, and we’re going to hear from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries shortly. From there we’re hoping to better understand the House timeline to vote on this deal.
But first the procedural vote that passed the Senate yesterday must be officially voted on. The thinking is that will happen later today, though no official votes have been scheduled.
End to shutdown 'step in the right direction,' says air traffic controllers union, but worries remainpublished at 16:39 GMT
16:39 GMT
Image source, EPA
An end to the shutdown and getting government workers such as air traffic controllers paid as soon as possible is a "right step in the right direction", says the head of the air traffic controllers' union.
"They have kept their focus, their composure and their commitment to safety," says Nick Daniels, president of National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), a union that represents more than 20,000 aviation workers. But, he added, they've also had to "focus on childcare instead of traffic flows, food for their families instead of runway separation".
And even with the deal to re-open the government, air traffic controllers know that the end of January is looming, Daniels says. That's when the proposed temporary funding stopgap ends.
What happened yesterday?published at 16:05 GMT
16:05 GMT
If you're just getting caught up on the news that the Senate has voted to end the shutdown, here's what you need to know about what happened on Sunday.
Senate vote
Senate Republicans, who hold a 53-47 majority of the chamber, late last night got the 60 votes - including from some Democrats - that they needed to move forward with passing a bill to re-open the US government. In Sunday's 60-40 vote, Republicans managed to get eight votes from the other side of the aisle, while losing just one Republican vote.
What's in the deal?
The deal includes a reversal of all government employee layoffs that occurred during the shutdown, guarantees federal workers will receive backpay, and extends the stopgap measure to fund the government through January.
What's not in the deal?
But the deal does not explicitly include what most Democrats wanted in this shutdown fight: a guaranteed extension of health insurance subsidies. Instead of including the extension in the continuing resolution bill itself, it makes way for another vote on the tax credits at the end of the second week in December.
What happens next?
The shutdown does not immediately end following the Senate's vote, and there are still more hurdles ahead, as the House still needs to pass the bill. The Senate is back in session today with more votes on this matter.
Democrats divided over US shutdown dealpublished at 15:26 GMT
15:26 GMT
In the end, it was seven Democrats and one independent (who caucuses with the Democrats) who broke the impasse over federal funding. But the move has left many of their fellow lawmakers angry.
What the Democrats who voted for a deal said:
New Hampshire senator Jeanne Shaheen, said: "Weeks of negotiations with Republicans have made clear that they will not address healthcare as part of shutdown talks - and that waiting longer will only prolong the pain Americans are feeling because of the shutdown."
Virginia senator Tim Kaine, said: "This legislation will protect federal workers from baseless firings, reinstate those who have been wrongfully terminated during the shutdown, and ensure federal workers receive back pay, as required by a law I got passed in 2019."
Nevada senator Catherine Cortez Masto, said: "We have federal workers that were suffering. We have airport controllers. And we were seeing lines to our food banks in northern Nevada. These were lines that I hadn't seen since the pandemic."
What the Democrats against the deal said:
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, said: "I cannot in good faith support this [continuing resolution] that fails to address the health care crisis. This fight will and must continue."
House of Representatives minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, said: "We will not support spending legislation advanced by Senate Republicans that fails to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. We will fight the GOP bill in the House of Representatives... ."
California governor Gavin Newsom, said: [The] Senate vote on the federal government shutdown should have been a time for strength. Instead we saw capitulation and a betrayal of working Americans. The American people need more from the their leaders."
How the US government shutdown vote passedpublished at 15:26 GMT
15:26 GMT
Image source, Getty Images
After 40 days of stalemate, a late-night vote in Washington DC on Sunday saw seven Senate Democrats and one independent side with the Republicans on backing a bill to re-open the government.
Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate but needed a 60-vote minimum threshold to back a spending bill. The eventual tally was 60-40 in favour of advancing the legislation.
The Republicans managed to gain eight votes from the other side of the aisle, while losing just one in Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, who voted against after saying the bill would increase national debt.
The compromise includes holding a vote on extending healthcare subsidies - a key sticking point for Democrats that remains contentious.
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Grace Eliza Goodwin
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Ana Faguy
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