The more than 20 million Americans who pay for expedited airport security with TSA PreCheck will be stuck with everyone else as long as the government shutdown continues.
The partial government shutdown has resulted in the temporary suspension of both the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) PreCheck and Global Entry security programs – a move Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said was designed to prioritize the general pool of travelers.
“Shutdowns have serious real world consequences,&#8221; <a href="https://apnews.com/article/homeland-security-tsa-precheck-global-entry-dc1d2ccd913a74fa2c8b91dad340a3b3">Noem said</a>, adding, &#8220;TSA and CBP are prioritizing the general traveling population at our airports and ports of entry and suspending courtesy and special privilege escorts.”
The two programs work in tandem to speed up security lines for departing travelers. TSA PreCheck allows registered travelers to check in for flights more quickly. Pre-approved travelers are not required to remove electronics from their bags, and security lines often move through in ten minutes or less.
For arriving travelers, the Global Entry program allows them to use an automated kiosk equipped with facial recognition software to avoid the long customs lines and complete passport verification. It is designed to eliminate the need to stand in long customs lines when returning to the United States from abroad. Travelers who pay for the Global Entry program also receive the benefits offered to TSA PreCheck members.
Democrats on the Homeland Security Committee released a statement claiming that the suspension of those programs was entirely political and accused DHS of intentionally punishing travelers.
&#8220;TRUMP’S DHS IS PUNISHING TRAVELERS.   TSA PreCheck and Global Entry reduce lines and ease the burden on DHS staff [sic]  But Kristi Noem and her &#8216;confidant&#8217; Corey Lewandowski are kneecapping the programs that make travel smoother and secure  . They’re ruining your travel on purpose,&#8221; the <a href="https://x.com/HomelandDems/status/2025420989178257425">statement</a> posted to X read.
TSA released a <a href="https://x.com/TSA/status/2022067729503858905">similar statement</a> at the start of the shutdown, blaming Democrats for leveraging the TSA in their efforts to force President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration into making changes to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
&#8220;The government shutdown will cease pay for all of TSA’s more than 63,000-person workforce and suspend non-essential services. Over 99% of that workforce resides in communities across the country,&#8221; Senior Official Performing the Duties of Deputy Administrator Adam Stahl said in a statement. &#8220;Democrats should fund the department and stop punishing our workforce and the everyday travelers they serve. A prolonged shutdown could result in significant attrition and increased callout rates of our officers including noticeable impacts at airports, including delays, longer wait times and cancelled flights.&#8221;

TSA Seizes Record Number Of Guns in 2015

Government Shutdown Hits Travelers: PreCheck, Global Entry Suspended

TSA Pre-Check, Global Entry Suspended As Government Shutdown Continues

Air Travel

Government Shutdown

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Politics

The Department of Homeland Security will experience a lapse in funding starting at midnight, which will have the most impact on agencies under the DHS umbrella, such as TSA, FEMA, and the Coast Guard – and it may have a slight impact on American travelers.
Former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, who currently serves as the president and CEO of Airlines for America, told The Daily Wire that he believes this shutdown will not have as drastic of an impact on air travel as the one in the fall, as air traffic controllers are already funded as part of the rest of the government spending package already approved earlier this month.
“This one&#8217;s very different than the first. First, air traffic controllers are paid. They’ve been funded through the first appropriations bill a couple of weeks ago. That was the big linchpin concern for us in the first one,” Sununu said, noting how the system had to “slow” down for safety reasons due to a high number of callouts during the 43-day shutdown last year, saying this now mostly centers on TSA and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
“No one&#8217;s going to get an empty paycheck or anything like that, at least until maybe a half paycheck at the end of the month, empty paycheck into March, because the conversations are actually happening between Democrats and the White House, that really wasn&#8217;t happening back in October,” he noted, saying that he’s “very optimistic that they are going to work this thing out.”
For those traveling, he recommends that people “keep an eye” on their upcoming flight plans, especially with Presidents Day on Monday.
“So give yourself a little extra time because it is a holiday week, but right now we don&#8217;t anticipate any significant delays,” Sununu said. “And if there are, the good news is the technology’s there and the public information is there so folks can be given a heads up if they need to give themselves a little more time.”
The former governor did encourage Congress to “find the middle ground” and “stop holding the American people hostage over political disputes,” noting proposed legislation floating that would keep TSA agents and air traffic controllers paid through shutdowns to minimize disruptions for Americans.
Although the department’s shutdown has centered on a push for federal immigration enforcement reforms, much of the funding needed for ICE’s deportation efforts was already secured through the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” signed by President Donald Trump in July.
Congress is scheduled to be on recess for the next week as negotiations have moved at a fairly slow pace on Capitol Hill to figure out funding for DHS before the continuing resolution expires on Friday. Democrats have put forth a list of demands for federal immigration enforcement reforms, and the White House has made a counterproposal with few known public details yet.
Meanwhile, some lawmakers of both political parties have flown off to the Munich Security Conference in Germany, although fewer House members were able to go, given that an official taxpayer-funded congressional delegation is unable to occur with the shutdown, according to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/12/gop-munich-security-conference-shutdown-00779083" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Politico</a>.
“That&#8217;s a little frustrating in itself,” Sununu said. “I mean, look, as a former governor … there are times you can&#8217;t find that middle ground in time, and this is one of them, but you don&#8217;t leave the city. You don&#8217;t leave the country.”
“You can go into your own corners and kind of maybe take a breath, but I don&#8217;t know about this whole everyone running off to Europe thing,” he added, saying that he hopes they will find a compromise on DHS funding when they return.

Travelers At Detroit Metro Airport As TSA Experiences Staff Shortages

Could The Homeland Security Shutdown Impact Your Travel Plans?

Congress

Department of Homeland Security

Immigration

Transportation

U.S.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) trolled Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) over the high-speed rail project that has been steadily rising in cost despite showing little progress over the course of nearly two decades.
Newsom jabbed at the TSA first, boasting in a press conference that nearly 11 years after the project&#8217;s 2015 ground-breaking, 463 miles of the planned route were finally ready for construction to begin — and saying that eventually, passengers on his high-speed rail would not have to suffer the indignity of removing their shoes to travel.
&#8220;While Texas canceled its project, California keeps building,&#8221; Newsom&#8217;s Press Office posted, neglecting to mention the fact that while Texas had canceled due to skyrocketing costs, California had simply opted to pass the added cost on to investors and depend on government grants. &#8220;463 miles are now ready for construction. We’re past the hardest part, and we’re finishing the job.&#8221;
&#8220;High-speed rail means no TSA lines, no removing your shoes — just fast, clean travel,&#8221; the post read.
The TSA pointed out that airline passengers had not been required to remove their shoes while passing through airport security since July of 2025 — and noted that while getting 463 miles of planned route ready for construction was certainly an accomplishment, the trains were not yet ready to leave the station.
&#8220;Congratulations Gov. Newsom! 463 miles &#8216;ready for construction,&#8217; maybe someday it will join the 20,000+ miles of passenger rail we already secure,&#8221; the TSA&#8217;s post read. &#8220;Meanwhile, Americans, who don&#8217;t fly private jets, have kept their shoes on at TSA checkpoints since July. Enjoy your next flight!&#8221;
The California high-speed rail project, touted by then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and originally approved in 2008, has long been viewed as a boondoggle of astronomical proportions. The initial budget was estimated at $33 billion, and was supposed to be completed by 2020. Initial passenger service was scheduled to begin in 2022.
Instead, over the course of 18 years, the price tag has ballooned to more than $135 billion and the ground along the proposed route is only just now &#8220;ready&#8221; for construction to begin. Passenger service has been delayed until sometime between 2030 and 2033.
In July of 2017, President Donald Trump announced that his administration was terminating some $4 billion in federal funding for the project: &#8220;To the law-abiding, tax-paying, hardworking citizens of the United States of America, I am thrilled to announce that I have officially freed you from funding California’s disastrously overpriced, ‘HIGH SPEED TRAIN TO NOWHERE.'&#8221;

California Governor Gavin Newsom Interview

TSA Trolls Gavin Newsom Over California’s High Speed Rail Money Pit

California

Gavin Newsom

High Speed rail

Train

Some 9,000 flights set for this weekend have already been canceled in anticipation of Winter Storm Ferm.
The storm, which meteorologists say could cause as much damage as a hurricane, will likely knock out power and impede travel both in the sky and on the roads for millions.
Currently, there are about 140 million Americans under a winter storm warning, ranging from New Mexico to New England.
The Weather Channel, though, <a href="https://weather.com/news/weather/news/2026-01-24-live-updates-winter-storm-fern-january-24?cm_ven=dnt_social_twitter">says</a> that ultimately 230 million people could be affected by Winter Storm Fern. More than a dozen states have already issued states of emergency, it noted.
&#8220;Take this storm seriously, folks,&#8221; the National Weather Service posted to X on Saturday. &#8220;Moderate to major impacts are expected from the Central US through to the Northeast today through the weekend.&#8221;
The NWS said to expect &#8220;hazardous to impossible driving conditions&#8221; and urged folks in affected areas to &#8220;avoid travel if at all possible.&#8221;
&#8220;Widespread closures and disruption to infrastructure may also occur,&#8221; it added. &#8220;Stay weather aware.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Take this storm seriously, folks.
Moderate to major impacts are expected from the Central US through to the Northeast today through the weekend. 
&#8211; Hazardous to impossible driving conditions are expected. Avoid travel if at all possible. 
&#8211; Widespread closures and disruption to… <a href="https://t.co/bR76NpsrEy">pic.twitter.com/bR76NpsrEy</a>
— National Weather Service (@NWS) <a href="https://twitter.com/NWS/status/2014828034075803679?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2026</a></blockquote>
The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore told <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americas-favorite-meteorologist-breaks-down-this-weekends-wild-weather-forecast">The Daily Wire</a> on Friday that much of the country will experience three different types of precipitation from the storm: snow, sleet, and freezing rain.
“In Dallas, they’re gonna have multiple precipitation types,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They’re going to start to snow, maybe go to freezing rain, and then end with the snow again. Nashville starts to snow, sleet, freezing rain, then ends as snow or freezing drizzle. Washington, D.C., starts to snow, heavy snow, goes to sleet, then freezing rain, maybe even a little rain just east of D.C., and then back to cold behind this cold front.”
Ice, though, could be the most dangerous form of precipitation.
“You can have power loss with a 1/4 inch of ice,&#8221; Cantore explained. &#8220;You can get more extensive power loss with a 0.5-inch [of ice]. Severe widespread power loss with 3/4 of an inch, and once you get over one inch of ice, now you’re talking about bringing the lines down and trees down.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americas-favorite-meteorologist-breaks-down-this-weekends-wild-weather-forecast">America’s Favorite Meteorologist Breaks Down This Weekend’s Wild Weather Forecast</a>

Municipal plow truck plowing snow off roadways in Laconia, New Hampshire USA

Winter Storm Fern: Thousands Of Flights Canceled, Millions Under Alert

Oklahoma

Severe Weather

Snow

Tennessee

Texas

Winter storm

Delta Air Lines on Friday urged passengers traveling this weekend to reschedule their flights as a major winter storm threatens to disrupt operations and force widespread cancellations.
The storm is disrupting U.S. air travel, prompting airlines to cancel flights, warn of delays and issue travel waivers as ice, snow and strong winds sweep across major hubs and regional airports in the South, East and central part of U.S.
The airline operator said customers should expect flight cancellations across the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, including Nashville and Raleigh–Durham, as the storm threatens to disrupt weekend travel.
Delta Air Lines canceled flights at several airports in five states on Thursday, warning that slow operations could trigger more delays and cancellations, and complicate rebooking during one of the busiest winter travel periods.
About two-thirds of the 815 flights scheduled to depart Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport on Saturday have been canceled, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Separately, American Airlines said it would add more than 3,200 extra seats to and from its Dallas–Fort Worth hub from Friday to Sunday.
The National Weather Service warned that a mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow could make travel hazardous and cause power outages and tree damage across the Southeast, with heavier snowfall expected farther north as the storm moves up the country.
Airlines urged passengers to keep a close eye on their flight status and use mobile apps or airline websites for the quickest rebooking options as the storm advances. Travelers have already begun adjusting plans in anticipation of mounting disruption.
(Reporting by Apratim Sarkar in Bengaluru and additional reporting by Doyinsola Oladipo in New York; Editing by Shreya Biswas)

Airplane

Delta Urges Travelers To Rebook As Winter Storm Threatens Weekend Flights

Delta Airlines

Airlines in the United States have canceled or delayed thousands of flights on Friday, according to flight tracking website FlightAware, due to winter storm Devin during peak holiday travel, while some states restricted commercial road traffic in anticipation of snowfall.
A total of 1,802 flights were canceled and 22,349 delayed as of 4:04 p.m. ET, the website said.
The National Weather Service issued warnings of winter storm Devin this afternoon which &#8220;will cause hazardous travel conditions for the Great Lakes into the northern Mid-Atlantic and southern New England today through Saturday morning.&#8221;
&#8220;For areas farther north from upstate New York to the Tri-State area including New York City and Long Island, 4-8 inches of snowfall is forecast for late Friday into (the) night,&#8221; National Weather Service&#8217;s Storm Prediction Center noted on the official website.
New York&#8217;s John F. Kennedy Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, and LaGuardia Airport have put out posts on X, warning travelers of potential delays or cancellations.
More than half of the flight cancellations and delays took place at these three airports, according to FlightAware.
JetBlue Airways has canceled 225 flights, the most among the carriers, closely followed by Delta Air Lines canceling 212 flights.
Republic Airways canceled 157 flights, while 146 were canceled by American Airlines and 97 by United Airlines.
Spokespersons from American Airlines, United Airlines, and JetBlue told Reuters the carriers have waived off change fees for re-booking for travelers whose plans may be affected.
&#8220;Due to winter storm Devin, JetBlue has canceled approximately 350 flights today and tomorrow, primarily in the Northeast where JetBlue has a large operation,&#8221; the JetBlue spokesperson said.
Delta Air Lines and Republic did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Ahead of the winter storm, New York and New Jersey declared a state of emergency from Friday afternoon.
&#8220;As widespread snowfall is expected to start in New York City and its surrounding areas this evening, I will declare a State of Emergency to ensure that our agencies and local partners have the resources and tools they need to respond to the storm,&#8221; New York Governor Kathy Hochul said.
New Jersey and Pennsylvania issued commercial vehicle restrictions on some roads, including many interstate highways.
&#8220;This storm will cause dangerous road conditions and impact holiday travel,&#8221; New Jersey&#8217;s acting governor Tahesha Way said in a statement. &#8220;We are urging travelers to avoid travel during the storm and allow crews to tend to the roads.&#8221;
(Reporting by Aatreyee Dasgupta and Abhinav Parmar in Bengaluru and Maria Tsvetkova in New York; Additional reporting by Megavarshini G. Somasundaram in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Nick Zieminski)

Airport

U.S. Airlines Cancel Over 1,800 Flights Due To Major Winter Storm

General

Longtime NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and his family were among those killed in a plane crash on Thursday morning in Statesville, North Carolina, about 45 miles outside of Charlotte.
Representative Richard Hudson confirmed the news.
&#8220;I am devastated by the loss of Greg, Cristina, and their children, and my heart is with all who loved them,&#8221; Rep. Hudson said.
Biffle&#8217;s close friend, Garrett Mitchell <a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AMbpQWYR7/">said</a> the Biffles were flying to visit him when the plane crashed.
&#8220;Unfortunately, I can confirm Greg Biffle, his wife Cristina, daughter Emma, and son Ryder were on that plane &#8230; because they were on their way to spend the afternoon with us. We are devastated. I&#8217;m so sorry to share this,&#8221; Mitchell said.
Biffle&#8217;s daughter was a teenager, and their son had just turned five.
A source with knowledge of the situation told The Daily Wire there were a total of six passengers on board.
According to airport officials, the Cessna C550 airplane crashed while landing at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DkbX45b4h/">Statesville Regional Airport</a> around 10:15 a.m. <a href="https://x.com/Breaking911/status/2001696669822284016?s=20">Video</a> from witnesses showed the aircraft engulfed in flames near the runway. The crash caused a multi-agency response.
Flight tracking records showed a Cessna C550, registered to GB Aviation Leasing LLC, that took off from Statesville Regional Airport at 10:06 a.m. before turning around shortly after takeoff to head back to the airport. GB Aviation Leasing LLC is a private company linked to Biffle.
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Biffle was a longtime NASCAR driver, becoming one of only three drivers to win the Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series. He was a nominee for the 2025 NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Biffle was known for more than just his skills on the track. He was a humanitarian who helped out greatly when North Carolina was devastated by Hurricane Helene. Biffle used his personal helicopter to take generators, chainsaws, water, and essential supplies needed to those in the impossible-to-reach regions devastated by the storm. He even helped raise more than $60,000 from t-shirt sales for western North Carolina relief efforts.
&#8220;They were friends who lived their lives focused on helping others,&#8221; Rep. Hudson said. &#8220;He was an extraordinary person as well, and will be remembered for his service to others as much as for his fearlessness on the track.
Biffle said he loved anything with gas and wheels — it was evident in his love for aviation.
The private pilot flew out of the Statesville airport often. According to the city of Statesville’s website, the airport is city-owned and provides corporate aviation facilities for Fortune 500 companies and several NASCAR teams.
Airport officials said in a press conference Thursday that the airport is shut down while debris is cleaned up. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the crash. At this time, there is no official cause of the crash.

Credit: Jared Tilton/SRX/Getty Images

NASCAR Driver, Family Dead After Plane Crashes Near Charlotte

NASCAR

North Carolina

Plane Crash

Air traffic <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-floats-plan-to-reward-air-traffic-controllers-who-didnt-take-time-off-due-to-shutdown">controllers</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/noem-hands-out-10000-checks-to-tsa-agents-who-worked-through-shutdown">TSA agents</a> are getting paid again, and the Federal Aviation Administration is confident that it &#8220;is ready to get more than 360,000 flights to their destinations&#8221; for the Thanksgiving travel period. But Americans should be prepared for long lines and crowded terminals as the FAA expects the busiest Thanksgiving travel week since 2010.
Tuesday, November 25, will be the busiest travel day before Thanksgiving, with 52,185 forecasted flights, the FAA <a href="https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-expects-busiest-thanksgiving-travel-period-15-years">said</a> on Friday. Sunday, November 30, will be the busiest travel day after the holiday, with 51,268 forecasted flights. Some storm systems could also affect air travel. Forecasts call for rain in the Northeast, while wind and rain could move into the Great Lakes region and Seattle around Thanksgiving Day, according to the FAA.
A total of 82 million Americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles from their homes for the Thanksgiving holiday, which is an increase of 1.6 million travelers compared to last Thanksgiving, according to <a href="https://newsroom.aaa.com/2025/11/aaa-thanksgiving-travel-forecast-2025/">AAA</a>. Seventy-three million Americans are expected to travel by car for the holiday, while six million Americans are expected to travel by air.
The busy travel week comes as the airline industry seeks to get back into a normal rhythm after the record-breaking 43-day government shutdown caused numerous disruptions. On Monday, the FAA lifted its temporary flight restrictions that affected 40 of the busiest airports in the country, and normal operations resumed.
“Thanks to the dedication of our air traffic controllers and every FAA employee, we are ready for the holiday rush and take pride in helping travelers reach their friends and families during this important time of year,” said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. “I am deeply grateful to our entire FAA team. Even through a period of record-high traffic, their unwavering commitment keeps the system running safely.”
<div id="attachment_1004229" style="width: 930px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1004229" class="wp-image-1004229 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Untitled-design-2025-11-21T134817.108-920x576.jpg" alt="" width="920" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Untitled-design-2025-11-21T134817.108-920x576.jpg 920w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Untitled-design-2025-11-21T134817.108-300x188.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Untitled-design-2025-11-21T134817.108-768x481.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Untitled-design-2025-11-21T134817.108.jpg 1078w" sizes=" (max-width: 920px) 100vw, 920px" />FAA</div>
The government shutdown resulted in an air traffic controller shortage as many controllers called in sick to either stay home or look for other work as they missed paychecks. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Thursday that 776 air traffic controllers and technicians who remained on the job and showed up to work every day during the government shutdown received $10,000 bonus checks.
&#8220;President Trump wanted to give air traffic controllers and technicians BONUSES for showing up to work EVERY DAY during the government shutdown… and TODAY IS THE DAY!&#8221; Duffy wrote. &#8220;776 patriotic men and women will get $10K checks, just in time for Christmas. God bless the patriots of our skies!&#8221;
The FAA also kicked off a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/no-more-pajamas-folks-is-it-time-to-dress-to-impress-on-planes-again">new campaign</a> on airport civility this week ahead of the holiday travel season.
“People dress up like they’re going to bed when they fly,” Duffy said. “We want to push people as we come into a really busy travel season, help people out, be in a good mood, dress up.”

Flying For The Holidays? Prepare For The Busiest Thanksgiving Travel Week In 15 Years.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

Thanksgiving

The saying goes &#8220;you can&#8217;t buy class,&#8221; and that&#8217;s true for the 13,800 unruly airline passengers who have been reported by the Federal Aviation Administration since 2021.
The Trump administration wants to bring &#8220;civility&#8221; back to air travel through their &#8220;The Golden Age Of Travel Starts With You&#8221; campaign. One way they offer pertains to passenger attire.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wants travelers to ask themselves: are you dressing with respect?
&#8220;People dress up like they&#8217;re going to bed when they fly,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/SecDuffy/status/1991334266974658936?s=20">Duffy said</a>. &#8220;We want to push people as we come into a really busy travel season, help people out, be in a good mood, dress up.&#8221;
In the campaign video released by the U.S. Department of Transportation, passengers are shown from previous decades flying in business suits and dresses, before showing the modern day jet setter in pajamas, sweatpants, and in some cases even bare feet. The passengers from the past showed courtesy, while the present-day passengers were seen fighting with each other on the plane.
&#8220;Things aren&#8217;t what they used to be,&#8221; Duffy said. &#8220;Let&#8217;s bring civility and manners back.&#8221;
Duffy has a checklist of questions he said will help put friendliness back in the skies.
1. &#8220;Are you helping a pregnant woman put her bag in the overhead bin?&#8221;
2. &#8220;Are you dressing with respect?&#8221;
3. &#8220;Are you keeping control of your children?&#8221;
4. &#8220;Are you saying &#8216;thank you&#8217; to your flight attendants and pilots?&#8221;
5. &#8220;Are you saying &#8216;please&#8217; and &#8216;thank you&#8217; in general?&#8221;
To put it simply, Duffy said &#8220;manners don&#8217;t stop at the gate.&#8221;
But research shows &#8220;class&#8221; is only being used as a seating designation instead of a character trait.
In-flight outbursts have seen a 400% increase since 2019, according to the FAA. These can range from disrupting the peace to violence.
Right now, DailyWire+ annual memberships are fifty percent off during our Black Friday sale. Join now at <a href="http://dailywire.com/blackfriday">dailywire.com/blackfriday</a>.
In 2021 alone, the FAA reported 5,973 unruly passengers. The return to the skies post-COVID saw the most chaos with six times the amount of unruly passengers in 2021 versus 2020. In 2024, the amount of uncontrollable passengers was double what was reported in 2019.
&#8220;The campaign is intended to jumpstart a nationwide conversation around how we can all restore courtesy and class to air travel,&#8221; the DOT announcement said. &#8220;This won’t just make the travel experience better for the flying public – it will ensure the safety of passengers, gate workers, flight attendants, and pilots.&#8221;
Duffy is eager to improve the flying experience during its busiest time of the year. AAA projected 81.8 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home over the Thanksgiving holiday this year from November 25 to December 1.
&#8220;Let’s be merry this holiday season as we fly!&#8221; Duffy said. &#8220;Dress up to go to the airport, help a stranger out, and be in a good mood. We can bring civility back, it’s as easy as that!&#8221;

Sean P. Duffy

No More Pajamas, Folks: Is It Time To Dress To Impress On Planes Again?

Christmas

Safety

Sean Duffy

Photos posted online show Democrat Congressman Brad Sherman (CA) looking at what appears to be pornographic images of women on his tablet during a recent flight.
Sherman, who is <a href="https://www.congress.gov/115/bills/hres438/BILLS-115hres438ih.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com">fiercely anti-Trump</a>, has denied that he was looking at pornography, while admitting to looking at the suggestive photos and blaming the X algorithm.
“If I see a picture of a woman, might I look at it longer than a sunset? Yeah,&#8221; Sherman told reporter John Bresnahan in the aftermath of the scandal. He also said what he was doing was &#8220;inappropriate.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1001241" style="width: 484px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1001241" class="wp-image-1001241 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-15-at-10.18.38-AM-474x576.png" alt="" width="474" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-15-at-10.18.38-AM-474x576.png 474w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-15-at-10.18.38-AM-247x300.png 247w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-15-at-10.18.38-AM-768x933.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-15-at-10.18.38-AM.png 1236w" sizes=" (max-width: 474px) 100vw, 474px" />@Dearwhitestaff</div>
The images went viral after they were posted by an X account called @dearwhitestaff. With his mouth agape, Sherman is seen viewing four to five sexually suggestive photos.
&#8220;Why did California Congressman Brad Sherman feel it was appropriate to look at porn on his iPad during a flight today?&#8221; the post was captioned. &#8220;His district deserves better representation than this!!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Why did California Congressman Brad Sherman feel it was appropriate to look at porn on his iPad during a flight today? His district deserves better representation than this!! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CA32?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CA32</a> <a href="https://t.co/gAYZ82tyr2">pic.twitter.com/gAYZ82tyr2</a>
— Dear White Staffers (@dearwhitestaff) <a href="https://twitter.com/dearwhitestaff/status/1989451791650402708?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
When interviewed about the images, Sherman &#8220;denied repeatedly that he was looking or pornography or has a problem with pornography,&#8221; Bresnahan said. &#8220;Sherman said these photos came up in &#8216;Twitter feed&#8217; under the &#8216;For You&#8217; heading.&#8221;
“This was on Twitter,&#8221; Sherman said. &#8220;These pictures came up on ‘For You.&#8217; &#8230; I must’ve looked at more than 1,000 posts.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
3/ Sherman: “This was on Twitter. These pictures came up on ‘For You.’”
“I must’ve looked at more than 1000 posts” during his flight, Sherman said.
— John Bresnahan (@bresreports) <a href="https://twitter.com/bresreports/status/1989498459217694773?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
The Democrat admitted that what he did was not appropriate, but again denied that it was pornography he was viewing.
“Is it pornography? I don’t think [X owner] Elon Musk thinks so,&#8221; he said. “Is it appropriate? No.”
Bresnahan also pressed Sherman about a possible addiction to pornography. “No, I don’t have a problem,” he said. “It’s all about the algorithms.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
5/ Q. “Do you have a problem with pornography?”
Sherman: “No, I don’t have a problem.”
Sherman said “It’s all about the algorithms,” and asserted these pictures came up in his feed “because of the algorithms.”
— John Bresnahan (@bresreports) <a href="https://twitter.com/bresreports/status/1989501984433647802?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
“If I see a picture of a woman, might I look at it longer than a sunset? Yeah,&#8221; he admitted. “If you have to fly across the country, you look at a lot of stuff on your tablet.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
7/ Sherman: “If you have to fly across the country, you look at a lot of stuff on your tablet.”
&#8211; 30 &#8211;
— John Bresnahan (@bresreports) <a href="https://twitter.com/bresreports/status/1989502732903022690?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2025</a></blockquote>

Congressman Brad Sherman

Dem Congressman Denies Looking At Porn Mid-Flight With Bizarre Defense

Democrats

Pornography

The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday it halved a requirement that U.S. airlines reduce domestic flights at 40 major airports from 6% to 3% starting Saturday to address air traffic control safety concerns after the end of the government shutdown.
Airlines have been pushing for the FAA to end the required cuts entirely and were largely not in compliance with the FAA order that required the 6% cut on Friday. It remains to be seen if they will be in compliance with the 3% order.
&#8220;The 3% reduction will remain in place while the FAA monitors system performance throughout the weekend and evaluates whether normal operations can resume,&#8221; the FAA said.
Cirium, an aviation analytics firm, said airlines canceled just 2% of overall flights Friday, down from 3.5% on Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday, air traffic controllers and other FAA employees began receiving back pay equal to about 70% of what they are owed excluding overtime.
Airlines have been privately making the case to the FAA that it is time to end the cuts and some said earlier they plan to cut few or no flights on Saturday, officials told Reuters.
The FAA opted on Wednesday to ease those required cancellations after disruptions due to air traffic control absences declined dramatically as Congress voted to reopen the government after a 43-day shutdown. The FAA had initially planned to hike the cuts to 8% on Thursday and 10% on Friday.
Separately, a group of House Democrats led by Representative Rick Larsen, the ranking member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, asked the administration on Friday to turn over the specific safety data and how it compares to the last six months.
United Airlines said it had canceled 134 flights for Friday, or almost 3% of its flights, after cancelling 222 flights on Thursday.
The FAA is about 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels. Many had been working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks even before the shutdown led to them working without pay.
Air traffic absences led to tens of thousands of flight cancellations and delays since October 1, when the 43-day shutdown began.
(Reporting by David ShepardsonEditing by Nick Zieminski, William Maclean)

Duffy Warns Of Worsening US Flight Delays As Paychecks Run Out

FAA Halves Flight Cuts To 3% After Shutdown Chaos Comes To An End

In the end, it was air travel, of all things, that ended the longest government shutdown in United States history. That was the point of failure. We just shut down the federal government for 43 days, which runs a budget of around $6 trillion a year, and nothing of value broke during that period — nothing at all — until the flight cancellations and delays started ramping up within the last few days. It wasn&#8217;t until the air traffic controllers walked off the job that a single American had any good reason to complain about the shutdown.
As much as I&#8217;m loath to talk about federal government shutdowns — they are, in every case, a waste of time that benefits no one — this one actually turned out to be a pretty interesting experiment. It was a stress test that exposed some key weaknesses in the conservative movement, as well as the way the federal government works. And before the next funding bill is voted on — which will take place at the end of January, apparently — it&#8217;s worth shoring up some of these weaknesses as quickly as we possibly can.
At a minimum, we need to answer some pretty basic questions that no one ever seems to talk about. Starting with: Why exactly is air travel a core function of the federal government? Why does air travel shut down when the government does? More specifically, why are air traffic controllers paid by the federal government at all?
Since the 1940s or so, the federal government has employed air traffic controllers in this country. Taxpayers have been responsible for their salaries and benefits, and everyone&#8217;s been okay with that arrangement. But there&#8217;s no clear reason we&#8217;re doing it this way. And indeed, several countries have a very different system. For example, Canada has a nonprofit called &#8220;Nav Canada&#8221; in charge of their air traffic control system. They generate their own revenue. They&#8217;re self-sufficient. Did you realize that? Did you know that, when it comes to aviation, we actually have more government bloat than Canada? In terms of efficiency, we&#8217;re being shown up by a country that&#8217;s put the government in charge of everything — from healthcare to Facebook to euthanizing people who miss rent payments. It&#8217;s embarrassing.
One of the many benefits of a private system, when it comes to air traffic control, is that government dysfunction doesn&#8217;t strand tens of thousands of travelers and shut down the entire aviation industry. The ability of the country to travel using airplanes isn&#8217;t contingent on appropriations bills in Congress. Additionally, in a private system, government bureaucracy (in our case, the FAA) isn&#8217;t in charge of operating the same system that it&#8217;s supposed to regulate. If a private entity is in charge of air traffic control, then the private entity can focus on directing traffic and upgrading its systems, and the federal government can focus on checking its work. They can supervise. That&#8217;s the ideal arrangement.
But we don&#8217;t have a privatized system for air traffic control — even though most major airlines in the United States want one — for a very simple reason: Air traffic control, like many other government-run industries, is designed to be as inefficient as possible. It&#8217;s essentially a jobs program that saps taxpayer money while sabotaging any potential for innovation. And indeed, there hasn&#8217;t been innovation in the industry for many years.
Air traffic controllers are still using paper strips, which they shuffle around by hand, to track flights in many control towers — even though it&#8217;s obviously a less efficient and more dangerous system. And this system has persisted despite the fact that the FAA has been <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/faa-nextgen-us-air-traffic-reform-effort-faces-lengthy-delays-over-budget-2025-10-01/">working</a> on a program called &#8220;NextGen&#8221; to update air traffic control systems (including the paper strips) for more than 20 years.
Yes, over more than two decades, the FAA has supposedly been working on a $15 billion project to modernize air traffic control. And they&#8217;re currently behind schedule and over-budget. Their plan to get rid of the paper flight strips has been delayed until 2030. They&#8217;re going to scale back the number of airports they update by 45%, and costs are over-budget by 20%.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1691-the-matt-walsh-show?elementPosition=1&amp;row=2&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-976065 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Matt-watch-now-1-1024x171.jpg" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Matt-watch-now-1-1024x171.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Matt-watch-now-1-300x50.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Matt-watch-now-1-768x128.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Matt-watch-now-1-1536x256.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Matt-watch-now-1.jpg 1800w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
A private, self-funded corporation could fix all of these problems virtually overnight. And they could probably do it with fewer employees, too. They could update the software in the control towers, take some of the workload off the controllers, and make everyone safer. But the unions wouldn&#8217;t like that change, for obvious reasons. And apparently, no one in Washington wants to privatize air traffic control either, because as far as I can tell, no politician is even broaching the subject at the moment. Even though the government shutdown just exposed a gigantic vulnerability in the aviation industry, the possibility of reforming the air traffic control system is going totally unmentioned.
Instead, one after another, Republican politicians have been posting videos celebrating the end of the government shutdown because SNAP benefits are being restored. That&#8217;s what they&#8217;re focusing on. They&#8217;re not talking about the fact that, other than air traffic control, we don&#8217;t appear to need the federal government at all.
Instead, they&#8217;re thrilled that billions of dollars will continue to flow to the 40 million Americans on food stamps, even though 40 million Americans clearly don&#8217;t need handouts to afford food. It&#8217;s an absurdly, comically fraudulent program, and yet, to Republicans in Congress, SNAP recipients are worth mentioning in the same breath as military servicemembers and federal law enforcement officers. Watch:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Tonight, we ended the Democrat shutdown so that we can fund programs like SNAP and WIC and pay our troops, federal workers, and air traffic controllers. <a href="https://t.co/RdjMihaKeF">pic.twitter.com/RdjMihaKeF</a>
— Congressman Rudy Yakym (@RepRudyYakym) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepRudyYakym/status/1988792508374216936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Credit: @RepRudyYakym/X.com
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Just finished voting to end the 43-day Democratic-led shutdown. Tonight’s vote gets our troops and federal workers paid, restores SNAP, and lets us get back to legislating. And even while Washington was stuck, I kept working for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CO03?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CO03</a>, securing $450,000 for new,… <a href="https://t.co/ztHJRjkVwu">pic.twitter.com/ztHJRjkVwu</a>
— Rep. Jeff Hurd (@RepJeffHurd) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepJeffHurd/status/1988793628576133397?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Credit: @RepJeffHurd/X.com
One of those things is not like the others. We can all agree that law enforcement officers and military servicemembers, and air traffic controllers should be paid. That&#8217;s because they&#8217;re actually doing something. But SNAP recipients aren&#8217;t doing anything. They&#8217;re just taking handouts they don&#8217;t need. Seventy-five <a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/do-food-stamps-make-people-fat-why-does-washington-subsidize-soda-and-candy-4d29659f?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqf9M-dHq1KxNxYg2R3rBtTfRzhDXrxuROSMQy3inDPuj_R5GWLSCZxazNO0wfA%3D&amp;gaa_ts=69016d5f&amp;gaa_sig=3m34s8qxfaT1rrz3S9qsK1YT5Q7s9NSWqVFlMhWSRcBIx5iqK27Kj4Grph_Nord1e6MdtldEOcVw7Sx3QmyCcg%3D%3D">percent</a> of SNAP recipients are overweight or obese. If you break it down, according to USDA data, 44% of SNAP recipients are obese, 28% are overweight, and only 2.5% are underweight. So at a minimum, we can cut this program by 75%, and no one would be affected. We&#8217;d be eliminating a massive amount of fraud, right off the bat, if we required SNAP recipients to step on a scale before we gave them their EBT card.
But really, the scale of the fraud is much greater than that, because pretty much every SNAP recipient is taking advantage of many other welfare programs too, including WIC, which, for many Americans, duplicates what the SNAP program does. (Actually, there&#8217;s one important difference. WIC only offers a list of pre-approved items like milk and bread. SNAP, on the other hand, will happily pay for your Oreo cookies and your two liters of Coke.)
And on top of that, grocery stores and so-called &#8220;bodegas&#8221; often defraud the SNAP program in plain sight. A few years ago, The Daily Wire&#8217;s Luke Rosiak spent a week standing around in various stores, writing down what people bought with food stamps. It turns out that the &#8220;bodegas&#8221; — whose trustworthiness the SNAP program is 100% reliant on — were openly selling ski masks in August, pipes for smoking crack, and cigarettes. They&#8217;re just criminal one-stop shops. In some cases, as Fox&#8217;s Will Cain reported, cashiers will run EBT cards for $100 in food, but return $50 cash to the customer instead of groceries. And then the SNAP recipient will sell the EBT card balance to someone else. Additionally, of course, many SNAP applications are simply fraudulent and include incorrect information about income, household members, and so on.
For her part, the Agriculture Secretary just disclosed that 5,000 dead people are getting SNAP, and half a million people are getting SNAP benefits twice under the same name. And that&#8217;s just the data they&#8217;ve been able to gather from conservative states. Left-wing states aren&#8217;t turning over the data at all, because obviously, the fraud is even worse there. Watch:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 BREAKING: In a jaw-dropping revelation, Sec. Brooke Rollins found 5,000 DEAD PEOPLE getting SNAP, and 500,000 PEOPLE getting SNAP &#8220;2 times under the same name.&#8221;
And that&#8217;s just what they&#8217;ve confirmed&#8230;
&#8220;This light has now been shined one of the most CORRUPT, DISFUNCTIONAL… <a href="https://t.co/GfCN49yAwN">pic.twitter.com/GfCN49yAwN</a>
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/1988766862994289135?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Credit: @EricLDaugh/FoxNews/X.com
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins: “We found one guy [collecting SNAP benefits] in 6 states… under the same number… These are the red states that turned their data over. It’s the blue states that we’re trying to get data on.”
“Can you imagine if this fraud is happening in… <a href="https://t.co/iFbKI8zHO2">pic.twitter.com/iFbKI8zHO2</a>
— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) <a href="https://twitter.com/RedWave_Press/status/1988775229225628098?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Credit: @RedWave_Press/FoxNews/X.com
The Agriculture Secretary is promising some future action, which is all she can really do in her position. But that&#8217;s simply not good enough. The action that should&#8217;ve been taken, by every single Republican in Congress, was to abolish the SNAP program entirely. Don&#8217;t throw billions more dollars into the fire. Get rid of it. Keep the government shut down if you have to.
The fact that Republicans caved on this issue, by itself, makes this shutdown an abject failure for the party. Yes, Democrats didn&#8217;t get the Obamacare subsidies they wanted — at least not yet. And yes, if that holds, it&#8217;s going to save taxpayers money that would&#8217;ve gone to healthcare for illegal aliens and other loyal Democrat voters.
But there&#8217;s really no reason to think that this stopgap is going to hold. After all, Republican lawmakers have just demonstrated that they&#8217;re willing to tolerate billions of dollars in fraudulent handouts every year. Roughly 60% of these fraudulent SNAP handouts go to illegal alien households. And yet, Republicans won&#8217;t even condemn that fraud or mention it. Instead, they&#8217;ll celebrate the payment of SNAP benefits as if it&#8217;s some great win for the country because, at long last, the flight delays will end. We&#8217;re supposed to accept the proposition that your ability to fly on an airplane in this country — the world&#8217;s greatest superpower — is contingent on the ability of tens of millions of people to receive fraudulent benefits. That&#8217;s the position of the Republican Party. Give them about three months, and they&#8217;ll be rolling out healthcare subsidies for illegal aliens as well. Everyone knows it.
At this point, it&#8217;d be shocking if you could find anyone in this country who&#8217;s excited to vote for any of these Republican lawmakers in the midterms a year from now. They have refused again and again to take a principled stand on anything — from codifying the DOGE cuts in the federal government, to restricting H1-B visas, to impeaching federal judges who are flagrantly violating their oaths of office. And now, predictably, these same Republicans have decided to waste yet another opportunity with this government shutdown. Once again, nothing will change. Air travel will continue to be dependent on the federal government. Illegal aliens will get more of your tax money. And in January, when the next funding showdown is supposed to take place, we&#8217;ll probably get rolled all over again. That&#8217;s what millions of Republican voters have to look forward to. They can look forward to being taken advantage of, time and time again. The GOP majority can either address these voters directly and give them what they voted for, or they won&#8217;t be the majority for much longer.

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