US expects more flight disruptions amid government shutdown

By Gokhan Ergocun

ISTANBUL (AA) - As the US government shutdown is in day 31, the nation’s transportation secretary said Friday he is expecting more flight delays in the coming days.

"Coming into this weekend and then the week after, I think you are going to see even more disruptions in the airspace," Sean Duffy told Fox News. “It would be difficult for the traveling public but this is the consequence of a long-term shutdown.”

The shutdown, now in its fourth week, has led to furloughs of hundreds of thousands of federal employees and disruptions to public services across the country.

Air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents have been working without pay, while federal nutrition assistance programs face increasing strain.

Duffy said a lot of staff have to find other ways to feed their families, such as driving for Uber or other short-term employment.