JFK grounds all planes as high winds and government shutdown causes major delays on airports across the US
John F Kennedy Airport is among several across the country facing massive ground delays due to alarming winds and staffing crises forced by the government shutdown.
The city's emergency management office wrote that JFK Airport - as well as LaGuardia and Newark Liberty - are all under traffic restrictions.
It is not limited to New York, with the FAA reporting that 35 air traffic facilities, including airports and other facilities that monitor air travel, have chronic staffing shortages due to the government shutdown.
Ground delays were issued across Orlando MCO, Austin-Bergstrom Airport and Nashville International Airport due to an air traffic control staffing shortage.
JFK is under a full ground stop until at least 11:59pm ET because of staffing shortages, while further delays of over an hour are being caused by windy weather.
Newark Liberty International Airport faces ground delays for arrivals at as much as three hours, while LaGuardia is at over two hours, as well as 15-minute delays for departures.
'More restrictions are possible if conditions worsen. Travelers should expect widespread ripple delays and check with their airline for the latest flight status,' the city said.
New York's John F Kennedy Airport is several across the country in facing massive ground delays, with alarming winds compounding the staffing crises forced by the government shutdown (Pictured: Passengers wait in JFK's Terminal 5 on August 29, 2025)
The city's emergency management office wrote that JFK Airport - as well as LaGuardia and Newark Liberty - are all under traffic restrictions
The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory through midnight, with all three airports facing gusts of up to 45 miles per hour.
As of 8pm ET, 5,293 flights within, into or out of the United States have been delayed and 473 have been canceled, according to data from Flight Aware. Delays and cancellations are steadily rising by the minute.
On Thursday, 7,250 flights were delayed and 1,249 were canceled across the country.
Thousands of passengers were left stranded in Orlando last night after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced there would be 'no certified controllers for a period of time', which would 'prevent landings' at Orlando Airport, the closest major airport to both Disney World and Universal Studios.
Staffing shortages have been growing since the government shutdown began on October 1. More than 13,000 air traffic controllers have been required to work without pay.
The US government shutdown barreled towards its second month Friday and the pain is spreading fast - with federal workers broke, food aid under threat and millions of Americans caught in the crossfire.
Trump, whose shadow hangs over every Republican move, on Friday called on Congressional Republicans to deploy the 'nuclear option' of ending the filibuster to bring the government shutdown to an end.
The filibuster, as it currently exists, requires 60 votes to bring any bill up to a final vote. Getting rid of it would allow the Senate to pass legislation a simple 51-vote majority.
The Republicans hold a 53-seat majority, meaning the GOP's funding bill would pass easily and go straight to Trump's desk.
Senators on both sides of the aisle have long been hesitant to completely remove the filibuster, fearful of what policies their rivals would be able to ram through in years they control government.
President Donald Trump urged Republican senators on Friday to get rid of the filibuster to end the government shutdown
Trump claimed that during his meetings with world leaders in Asia 'the one question that kept coming up... was how did the Democrats SHUT DOWN the United States of America and why did the powerful Republicans allow them to do it?'
The alleged query from world leaders apparently gave the president some pause.
'The fact is, in flying back, I thought a great deal about that question, WHY?' he said in a lengthy post on his Truth Social page Thursday night.
He then claimed that Democrats are 'Crazed Lunatics that have lost all sense of WISDOM and REALITY' since they've lost all power in Washington D.C.
'It is a sick form of the now "legendary" Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) that only comes from losing too much,' Trump wrote.
'They want Trillions of Dollars to be taken from our Healthcare System and given to others who are not deserving - People who have come into our Country illegally, many from prisons and mental institutions,' the president claimed.
'That will hurt American citizens and Republicans will not let it happen.
'It is now time for Republicans to play their "TRUMP CARD" and go for what is called the Nuclear Option - get rid of the filibuster and get rid of it NOW!'
Senator Chuck Schumer of New York has been leading Democratic strategy on the shutdown and has largely maintained the ACA subsidy red line.
He repeated his pledge to sit down with Democrats over their demands -- but only after the shutdown is over.
'We'll meet very quickly, but they have to open up the country,' he told reporters. 'It's their fault. Everything is their fault. It's so easily solved.'
The shutdown came after Democrats refused to vote for the GOP temporary funding measure.
They argued it should include a permanent extension to the tax credits for Americans who buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace, also known as Obamacare.
Referred to as enhanced premium tax credits, they were introduced in 2021 and later extended through the end of 2025 by the Inflation Reduction Act.
They have significantly brought down the cost of health insurance for approximately 22 million low- and middle-income Americans. Additionally, the number of enrollees in ACA marketplace health plans has nearly doubled, according to healthcare outlet KFF.
So far, the vast majority of Republicans have refused to negotiate on this until the government is reopened.
Senator Chuck Schumer of New York has been leading Democratic strategy on the shutdown and has largely maintained the ACA subsidy red line.
He did, however, sit down Thursday with Senator Katie Britt of Alabama, a Republican who chairs the Appropriations subcommittee on Homeland Security.
She told Politico that she spoke to Schumer about 'wanting to lay the foundation for us to be able to do our appropriations work'.
