Transportation Secretary Floats Flight Reductions of Up to 20 Percent If Shutdown Continues

The warning comes as federal officials cut flights at major US airports on Friday.

A United Airlines passenger plane departs Chicago O'Hare International Airport in Chicago on Nov. 7, 2025. Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. flight reductions could escalate to as much as 20 percent if the government shutdown persists, said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Friday.

Duffy answered a question about the shutdown and travel at an event hosted by Breitbart News, saying, “You might see 10 percent would have been a good number, because we might go to 15 percent or 20 percent.” Duffy later told The Hill that he was speaking theoretically.