How the US government shutdown is affecting travel

On 1st October 2025, at 12:01 a.m. EDT, the US federal government went into shutdown. Due to congressional failure to pass fiscal legislation, many US government services have been shut down, with approximately 750,000 federal workers on unpaid leave.

While essential services remain operational, the travel sector has been one of the most widely affected. From flights to national parks and museums, travel in, through, and out of the US is set to get much more difficult.

Although commercial air travel is set to continue as normal, thousands of flights have been delayed or cancelled due to a lack of air traffic controllers. As federal employees employed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), they are expected to work without pay during the shutdown, resulting in some employees calling in ‘sick’ instead.

Meanwhile, although US National Parks will generally remain open, visitor centres will be closed, with only a skeleton staff remaining

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has also warned of longer wait times at airports. In a recent statement, a spokesperson said, “While TSA is prepared to continue screening about 2.5 million passengers a day, an extended shutdown could mean longer wait times at airports. We kindly ask for ourpassengers’ patience during this time.”

Meanwhile, although US National Parks will generally remain open, visitor centres will be closed, with only a skeleton staff remaining. During the previous government shutdown between December 2018 and January 2019, vandalism and looting at many historical sites resulted from the parks being left open without staffing, something that the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) is urging the government not to repeat.

“Guidance shouldn’t direct park staff to swing the gates open and walk away,” said Theresa Pierno, President and CEO for NPCA, in a recent statement. “The Park Service has already lost 24% of their workforce since January, forcing parks to slash ranger programs, shutter visitor centres, deny camping and backcountry permits, reduce preparedness for search and rescues, and halt critical maintenance and research. Losing more staff will make it nearly impossible for parks to operate.”

While the US government shutdown is a temporary crisis, it raises bigger questions about the fate of the travel industry in politically turbulent times

The Smithsonian Institution, which includes 21 museums and the National Zoo, has also now closed due to the shutdown. The Smithsonian receives nearly 62% of its funding from the government, supporting free admission to all its facilities. While prior-year funds allowed the Smithsonian to operate for the first 11 days of the shutdown, it has now been forced to join the ever-increasing list of closed services, to the disappointment of many Washington D.C. tourists.

While the US government shutdown is a temporary crisis, it raises bigger questions about the fate of the travel industry in politically turbulent times. With many travellers, both international visitors and US citizens, cancelling their holidays due to worries over the unpredictability of travel at the moment, this response reflects a growing concern over the effect of political instability within the US on its tourism industry.