Imagine waking up to a country where essential services are grinding to a halt, flights are vanishing from schedules left and right, and millions of people are left wondering when normality will return—this is the stark reality of the United States grappling with its longest-ever government shutdown. But here's where it gets controversial: as lawmakers scramble to fix the mess, some argue it's a necessary stand on policy, while others see it as a reckless gamble that punishes everyday Americans. Dive in with me as we break down the latest developments, and trust me, this is the part most people miss—the human toll behind the headlines.
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Stay tuned for ongoing updates on the government shutdown developments.
(https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/government-shutdown-house-end-flights-11-12-25)
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En español: cierre del Gobierno de EE.UU
(https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/eeuu/live-news/cierre-gobierno-votacion-camara-reapertura-trax)
Ongoing Updates
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries stated that Senate Democrats who sided with Republicans on the government funding proposal will need to justify their decisions.
12:20 • Source: CNN (https://www.cnn.com/)
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries stated that Senate Democrats who sided with Republicans on the government funding proposal will need to justify their decisions.
12:20
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• All Eyes on the House: The House is scheduled to vote this evening (https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/10/politics/reopen-federal-government-next-steps) on the bill supported by the Senate (https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/11/politics/spending-bill-government-shutdown-end) that aims to restart federal operations. House Speaker Mike Johnson must convince his slim GOP majority to back it, and he expressed to reporters that he's 'very optimistic' (https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/government-shutdown-house-end-flights-11-12-25?post-id=cmhw50kz300053b6n32ulsxgn) about the outcome of tonight's vote.
• The Shutdown's Ripple Effects: Close to 900 domestic flights have been scrapped (https://cnn.com/2025/11/12/us/faa-workers-shutdown-deal) by this morning, with numerous others experiencing delays, and the Trump administration is cautioning that additional disruptions could follow due to the ongoing shutdown. Additionally, beneficiaries of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps low-income families afford groceries, are in a state of uncertainty after the Supreme Court decided to maintain the suspension on full payments (https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/11/politics/supreme-court-extends-hold-on-full-snap-payments).
• Grijalva's Official Entry: Meanwhile, Democratic Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva is slated to be officially sworn in today (https://www.cnn.com/politics/narrow-house-majority-congress-dg) in the House following a protracted wait caused by the shutdown. This induction will further narrow Johnson's majority and set the stage for an eagerly awaited vote to mandate the disclosure of files related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. (https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/12/politics/epstein-trump-emails-oversight-committee)
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House Speaker Mike Johnson indicated that Republicans are 'very optimistic' regarding the count for the House's upcoming vote on the funding bill designed to restart federal government functions.
'I just want to say that we're very optimistic about the vote tally tonight—we think this is going to happen,' he shared with reporters on Wednesday morning.
Johnson emphasized that, following an extended break from Washington, House members will dive into an 'aggressive' schedule for the Republicans' policy priorities.
'We're ready to get back to our legislative agenda. We have a very aggressive calendar for the remainder of this year. There'll be some long days and nights here, some long working weeks, but we will get this thing back on track,' he explained.
With the busy Thanksgiving travel season on the horizon, the head of the commercial airlines' trade group urged House members to approve the government reopening in tonight's planned vote.
'We are gearing up for unprecedented Thanksgiving travel, anticipating around 31 million passengers, and the peak shipping period is approaching,' Airlines for America President and CEO Chris Sununu remarked in a statement. 'That said, airlines can't just flip a switch to return to full operations right after a vote—lingering effects could persist for several days.'
Shutdown-related flight cancellations and delays have already affected over 5 million travelers and 'countless' cargo deliveries, according to Sununu.
'It is past time to end the shutdown,' he urged.
The House is set to conduct a procedural vote on the Senate-approved agreement to restart the federal government at 5 p.m. ET, with the final passage vote anticipated around 7 p.m. ET, as per a notice from Majority Whip Tom Emmer.
Air traffic controllers are facing understaffing at two locations this morning, prompting travelers to pressure Congress to resolve the government shutdown.
A staffing shortfall until 2 p.m. ET was reported at the TRACON facility managing arrivals and departures in the Phoenix area, added to the latest Federal Aviation Administration operations plan. Flights bound for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport may encounter up to an hour's delay, the FAA noted.
The TRACON overseeing approaches and departures at Newark Liberty International Airport experienced understaffing earlier today.
On Tuesday, the FAA operations plans mentioned only five instances of air traffic control staffing challenges, a sharp decline from 40 on Monday and 63 on Saturday.
'I think our air traffic controllers are sensing the shutdown's end and feeling more hopeful, leading them to return to their posts,' Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy commented Tuesday.
Since the shutdown began, there have been 643 instances of reported understaffing, over six times the number seen during the same period last year.
Controllers, classified as essential workers, are required to show up for duty but won't receive payment until the government resumes operations.
The House is slated to hold a procedural vote on the Senate-endorsed deal to restart federal functions in the 5 p.m. ET timeframe, with the passage vote expected around 7 p.m. ET, according to Majority Whip Tom Emmer's notice.
These vote timings may shift as the day progresses.
House leadership intends to officially welcome Arizona Congresswoman-elect Adelita Grijalva at approximately 4 p.m. ET.
Following the votes, lawmakers will depart and reconvene at the Capitol on Monday.
Although restoring standard air travel after the anticipated conclusion of this week's federal government shutdown won't happen overnight, it should unfold faster than many might expect, as former United Airlines Captain Kit Darby explained to CNN's Sara Sidner on CNN News Central.
'In typical scenarios, when flights get scrapped or postponed due to random issues, it's chaotic. But this situation involved a planned reduction in capacity by a certain percentage,' Darby clarified. 'We have a clear idea of where the aircraft, pilots, and crew are located, unlike during something unpredictable like bad weather.'
'As a result, getting everything operational again should happen quickly. I don't see it taking more than a few days to restore most services. If we resolve this by week's end, I predict we'll be fully back on track by Thanksgiving,' he forecasted.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and fellow Democrats pledged last night to persist in tackling escalating healthcare expenses, announcing plans to propose amendments to the government-reopening bill to extend expiring subsidies under the Affordable Care Act.
At the same time, Rep. Jim McGovern, the leading Democrat on the influential House Rules Committee, lambasted the GOP for their absence.
'I'm glad you made it through your two-month paid break while Democrats remained in Washington to push for an end to the shutdown,' he remarked.
A House Democrat lashes out at Republican colleagues: 'Where on earth have you been?'
Rep. Jim McGovern, the senior Democrat on the powerful House Rules Committee, criticized House Republicans harshly for vacating Washington during the government shutdown.
00:53 • Source: CNN (https://www.cnn.com/)
A House Democrat lashes out at Republican colleagues: 'Where on earth have you been?'
00:53
Approximately 5,000 workers are upholding FAA equipment maintenance, alongside 14,000 air traffic controllers, all operating without compensation.
In the past few days, an unprecedented number of air traffic controllers have taken unplanned leave, leading to a chain reaction of extensive delays for passengers. Concurrently, the FAA reduced flight volumes at 40 U.S. airports to ensure the controllers on duty could manage traffic safely.
Amanda James, an FAA employee for over three years, reacted to news of a potential funding agreement this week with skepticism: 'I'll believe it when I see it actually pass.' James and her spouse, an FAA controller with more than 11 years of experience, have weathered previous shutdowns and set aside savings just in case.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described the unpaid status of critical FAA staff as a 'crisis within aviation' on Tuesday.
Duffy suggested that some controllers might be abstaining from work as a protest, others could be moonlighting for extra income, and a few might be dealing with illness or burnout from the uncertainty of delayed pay.
Discover more about FAA staff facing unpaid workdays here (https://cnn.com/2025/11/12/us/faa-workers-shutdown-deal).
GOP leaders remain confident that the government funding bill will clear the House this evening, despite their narrow majority and the possibility of at least one defection, per Republican insiders.
Republicans in Congress can afford to lose no more than two GOP votes if voting strictly along party lines—and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie is broadly anticipated to oppose the funding bill. Massie did not provide comment to CNN on his voting intentions.
Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, the sole Democrat who backed the GOP's temporary funding measure in September, is a potential turncoat and might align with Republicans on this ballot, even as Democratic leaders encourage their caucus to reject it. Other Democrats could also defect, sources indicated.
The bill's ultimate approval is projected for roughly 7:30 p.m. ET to 8 p.m. ET, though it might extend.
One air traffic control staffing issue was logged this morning as passengers await confirmation that controllers will continue reporting for duty while Congress strives to conclude the government shutdown.
The staffing challenge this morning affected the Federal Aviation Administration facility overseeing approaches and departures at Newark Liberty International Airport, from 7 a.m. ET to 10 a.m. ET. This location has grappled with personnel shortages for years and encountered the highest frequency of issues during the shutdown. No delays are anticipated, the FAA stated.
Yesterday, FAA operations plans documented just five reports of air traffic control staffing difficulties, a significant drop from 40 on Monday and 63 on Saturday.
There have been 642 instances of understaffing reported since the shutdown's inception, exceeding by more than six times the figures from the comparable period last year.
Controllers, deemed essential personnel, must attend work but will remain unpaid until the government reopens.
The House of Representatives will reconvene in session today after roughly two months away, kicking off votes on the Senate-approved bill aimed at restarting federal operations.
The ballot is expected as soon as this evening. Upon House approval, the measure will head to President Donald Trump's desk for his endorsement.
Yet, the path ahead isn't guaranteed to be straightforward.
Speaker Mike Johnson contends with an exceedingly slim majority and can only sustain the loss of two GOP votes—he might even require presidential intervention to secure passage.
And this is the part most people miss: Democrats, led by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, are committed to resisting the proposal, arguing it falls short on healthcare priorities that many deem essential.
We'll keep you posted with the freshest information as it emerges.
Explore the upcoming steps in greater detail here. (https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/10/politics/reopen-federal-government-next-steps)
This update includes anticipated timings for the House vote.
As of 7:30 a.m. ET, tracking data indicates about 880 domestic flights have been canceled (https://www.flightaware.com/live/cancelled/today), with over 440 experiencing postponements.
Major U.S. airlines preemptively axed hundreds of flights in compliance with the Federal Aviation Administration's emergency directive (https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/FAA-Emergency-Order-11-6-25.pdf) mandating a 6% cut in operations at 40 key airports.
Southwest Airlines: Approximately 145 flights planned for today have been scrapped, based on a Monday bulletin (https://www.swamedia.com/news-and-stories/update/faa-flight-reductions-nov-10-2025-update-MC7ZNIWB5FSBECPAURZUJF2NT2MM). The carrier reported 150 cancellations yesterday.
Delta Air Lines: The Atlanta-headquartered airline plans to operate most of its itinerary today, a spokesperson informed CNN, noting that all 'scheduled FAA-mandated cancellations' are wrapped up through Thursday. Around 100 Delta flights were canceled yesterday, per FlightAware.
United Airlines: For today, 271 flights have been eliminated, a United spokesperson confirmed. The previous day saw 269 United cancellations.
American Airlines: The airline scrapped roughly 200 flights yesterday and has another 200 set for cancellation today, as outlined in an earlier (https://news.aa.com/news/news-details/2025/An-update-on-the-FAA-directive/default.aspx) announcement.
Airlines are obligated to adhere to the FAA's directive to progressively slash flight capacity by 10% by Friday until a formal agreement terminates the federal government shutdown.
Per FAA guidelines, flights must be canceled a week in advance of their scheduled departure. Once canceled and passengers notified, they can't be effortlessly revived.
The FAA implemented these flight reductions to address personnel shortages exacerbated by the shutdown, where air traffic controllers are mandated to work unpaid (https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/12/us/faa-workers-shutdown-deal). A surge in controllers taking unscheduled leave has led to prolonged passenger delays.
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Incoming Rep. Grijalva intends to 'personally' challenge Speaker Johnson about her postponed swearing-in.
01:17 • Source: CNN (https://www.cnn.com/)
Incoming Rep. Grijalva intends to 'personally' challenge Speaker Johnson about her postponed swearing-in.
01:17
House Speaker Mike Johnson will officially induct Arizona Congresswoman-elect Adelita Grijalva at around 4 p.m. ET, as per an announcement from his office.
This ceremony occurs seven weeks after her election victory (https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/11/politics/adelita-grijalva-arizona-mike-johnson-swearing-in), filling the Arizona seat vacated by her late father, and comes after persistent Democratic calls for Johnson to proceed. The Arizona attorney general initiated a lawsuit last month to force her seating.
Johnson justified the delay by noting her win occurred on September 23, when the House was adjourned due to the shutdown, and promised to act once Congress returned.
Grijalva has indicated that among her initial actions in office will be to sign a petition demanding a floor vote on a bill requiring the government to disclose records from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
But here's where it gets controversial: Is the shutdown a bold political maneuver to force concessions, or an unfair burden on hardworking Americans? Do you think Democrats should hold out for stronger healthcare protections, or is compromise the pragmatic path forward? Share your thoughts in the comments below—do you agree with the Republican optimism, or see cracks in the plan? Let's discuss!
