How Congress can prevent the next shutdown from blowing up air travel

Summer 2026 saw record air travel, and Labor Day weekend could be the busiest in our skies to date. Congress, meanwhile, will soon approach another round of budget deadlines, with lawmakers poised to again use the threat of a government shutdown as leverage in their political infighting.

I have no doubt the Federal Aviation Administration and the airline industry are holding their breath.

Given the enormous strain placed on aviation operations during previous government shutdowns, and with skyrocketing fuel costs from the war in Iran now placing major financial pressure on the airline industry, it is remarkable that Congress has still not insulated the FAA from future funding lapses.

The need for stable aviation funding is especially urgent now. And the agency responsible for managing our nation’s airspace should not have to face the threat of disrupted funding every time Congress approaches another budget deadline, nor should air traffic controllers, TSA officers, and Customs and Border Patrol personnel serving airports across the country serve as pawns in political battles in Washington.

Anyone who traveled over the holidays last year likely remembers how badly the 2025 shutdown disrupted airports and flights. Passengers waited hours in TSA lines. Seemingly every other flight was delayed or cancelled. All told, air traffic control staffing shortages caused by the 2025 shutdown led to 15,600 flight delays and 7,100 cancellations, affecting more than six million passengers. Combined with this year’s Department of Homeland Security shutdown, the disruptions imposed more than $6 billion in economic costs.

The unfortunate sequence begins when Congress allows air traffic controllers, Transportation Security........

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