(Washington, D.C.) The U.S. federal government shutdown entered its 30th day on Thursday (October 30), with President Trump calling for the repeal of the Senate's filibuster rule to circumvent Democratic obstruction of the appropriations bill vote.
The filibuster rule requires at least 60 of the 100 senators to agree in order to pass a majority of legislation, while Republicans control only 53 seats in the Senate.
Trump tweeted on Thursday, "Now is the time for Republicans to play their trump card. They should take the so-called nuclear option—repeat filibuster, and immediately."
Vice President Vance warned on Thursday that if the shutdown extends into the busy Thanksgiving travel season, it could lead to widespread disruption during the holidays. He urged Democrats to vote in a temporary funding bill to reopen the government.
After meeting with representatives from the U.S. aviation industry and unions at the White House, Vance pointed out that if the shutdown continues until the end of November, it could lead to more employee absences, longer security lines, and increased flight delays. "This could be a disaster."
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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said flights at airports in Orlando, Dallas, and Washington, D.C., were delayed on Thursday due to a shortage of air traffic controllers caused by the government shutdown.
Data from flight tracking website FlightAware showed that nearly 6,000 flights were delayed and 1,100 flights were canceled across the U.S. on Thursday. Approximately 20% of flights operated by United Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Delta Air Lines were affected.
