Travel Industry to Congress: End Shutdowns That Punish Workers and Disrupt Americans
Joint industry statement cites $6 billion economic impact from 2025 shutdown and urges Congress to pass bipartisan aviation funding bills.
Today, with the House heading back to Washington, D.C., to vote on a government funding package, U.S. Travel, Airlines for America, and the American Hotel & Lodging Association issued the following joint statement:
We saw firsthand how government shutdowns significantly disrupt travel and hurt our economy last year. The 2025 shutdown had an economic impact of $6 billion—nearly $140 million per day—and negatively impacted more than 6 million passengers.
When air traffic controllers and TSA officers are forced to work without pay, it strains an already under resourced aviation system and sends ripple effects across the entire travel ecosystem.
We implore the House to act with urgency to vote on the package that the Senate passed on Friday so that vital government agencies can re-open and frontline federal workers—including controllers and TSA officers—can be paid for the important work they do. It’s up to the House to pass these measures to prevent significant disruptions, protect travelers, and maintain confidence in the U.S. air travel system.
Congress must also pursue solutions to guarantee that TSA officers and air traffic controllers are paid regardless of future funding lapses. The Aviation Funding Solvency Act (H.R. 6086) and the Aviation Funding Stability Act (S. 1045) would ensure air traffic controllers and other critical FAA employees get paid during shutdowns and would use funds already paid into the system. These are common sense proposals that have bipartisan support and should be passed swiftly.