The wheels are coming off the wagon in Washington, and the American people are about to feel it where it hurts most: at the airport terminal and the grocery store checkout line.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy delivered a stark warning about what lies ahead if this government shutdown stretches into the Thanksgiving travel season. His words were not sugar-coated. The aviation industry faces what he called “mass issues” and potential disaster if Congress and the White House cannot find common ground before millions of Americans take to the skies for the holidays.
Duffy pointed a finger squarely at Democrats for the impasse, noting that October’s relatively calm skies have masked the severity of the situation. Good weather and lighter travel volumes have provided temporary cover, but that grace period is about to expire. When families start packing their bags for Thanksgiving, the system may not be ready to handle them.
Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, a bipartisan coalition of senators made their third attempt this week to push back against the administration’s sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs. The 51-47 vote came on the heels of what President Trump characterized as an “amazing” and “truly great” meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The president announced a modest reduction in Chinese tariffs, dropping them from 57% to 47%, but the Senate’s resistance signals growing unease with the administration’s trade strategy affecting more than 100 trading partners.
The administration also unveiled plans that will fundamentally reshape America’s refugee policy. Next year’s admission ceiling will drop to just 7,500 refugees, with the majority of those spots reserved for white South Africans. This represents a dramatic departure from decades of American policy that welcomed hundreds of thousands fleeing persecution and conflict worldwide.
Back home, the shutdown’s impact is hitting kitchen tables across the nation. New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency to secure $65 million for food banks as federal funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program hangs in the balance. With benefits set to expire Saturday, nearly 42 million Americans who depend on food stamps face uncertainty. Oregon and Virginia have already taken similar emergency measures.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a significant concession to Beijing: a one-year suspension of Entity List restrictions that have prevented Chinese firms from acquiring sensitive American technology through affiliate companies. Bessent framed this as a goodwill gesture following the Trump-Xi meeting, emphasizing the respectful tone of discussions between the two leaders.
The convergence of these crises paints a troubling picture. A government unable to keep its doors open now faces the prospect of stranding holiday travelers, leaving vulnerable Americans without food assistance, and navigating complex international trade negotiations that could reshape the global economic landscape.
The clock is ticking, and the stakes are rising. Whether Washington can pull together before Thanksgiving remains an open question, but the consequences of failure are becoming clearer by the hour.
Related: Supreme Court Takes Up Trump Tariff Authority as Economic Stakes Mount
