Congress has temporarily averted another government shutdown, but U.S. travel leaders say the aviation system remains vulnerable. With billions at stake, the industry wants permanent funding protections so TSA officers and air traffic controllers are never forced to work without pay.
Temporary fix draws mixed reaction
The House voted 370-48 on Tuesday to approve Senate amendments to H.R. 6500, the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2027, sending the legislation to President Donald Trump. The measure extends current government funding through Dec. 11, giving lawmakers roughly another 10 weeks to complete the annual appropriations process.
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Following the vote, the U.S. Travel Association, Airlines for America, and the American Hotel & Lodging Association said the action represented progress—but argued that another continuing resolution merely postpones the fundamental problem.
“Today’s House vote is welcome progress, but travelers and the people who keep America moving have seen this movie before: another temporary fix, followed by more of the same uncertainty,” the organizations said.
According to U.S. Travel, they called on Congress to finish the annual appropriations bills and adopt a permanent mechanism ensuring that TSA officers and air traffic controllers continue receiving their salaries even when other parts of the federal government shut down.
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The immediate danger of an Oct. 1 shutdown has receded, but Congress has not completed the 12 annual appropriations bills needed to fund the federal government for fiscal 2027. Instead, the continuing resolution largely maintains existing funding until Dec. 11.
Air traffic controllers and TSA screening officers perform functions considered essential to aviation safety and security. During a shutdown, they generally continue reporting for duty even though the appropriations that finance their salaries may have lapsed.
This creates an unusual situation: the aviation system remains open, but thousands of the federal employees required to operate it can be working without receiving their normal paychecks.
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U.S. Travel says the problem has become structural rather than exceptional, pointing to funding lapses in 2018-19, fall 2025 and again during the February-April 2026 Department of Homeland Security shutdown.
The consequences can quickly spread beyond federal employees. During the previous 43-day shutdown, more than six million passengers were affected and more than 9,000 flights were delayed or canceled, according to the travel groups. They estimate that the shutdown cost the U.S. travel economy roughly $1 billion a week.