The U.S. Senate has reached an agreement to end the federal government 'shutdown'.
On the evening of the 9th local time, the Senate advanced a temporary federal government funding bill. The bill passed a procedural vote with the required 60 votes in favor.
Some Democratic senators broke the party deadlock and voted with Republicans in support.
According to U.S. media reports, this breakthrough resulted from an agreement in which Republicans pledged to hold a vote on expiring health care subsidies before December, and the government would reopen until January next year. The agreement also includes a bill to provide funding for certain government departments (including food aid) until the end of the current fiscal year.
The bill still needs to pass Senate debate and gain approval by the House of Representatives, then be signed into law by President Trump to officially end the government 'shutdown'.
Currently, the federal government 'shutdown' has reached a record 40 days.
More Than 2,000 Flights Canceled in a Single Day
As of around 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time on the 9th, over 2,000 flights nationwide had been canceled and over 8,000 flights delayed that day.
According to flight tracking websites, there were 2,309 canceled and 8,113 delayed domestic and international flights in the U.S. that day. In recent days, daily delayed flights in the U.S. have exceeded 7,000. Since the forced flight reduction policy was implemented on the 7th, flight cancellations surged from 202 on the 6th to 1,025 on the 7th, and then to 1,566 on the 8th.
Since the federal government 'shutdown' began on October 1, the number of air traffic controllers forced to work without pay who have called in sick has increased, and the shortage of personnel has worsened flight delays. Many controllers have to work overtime, raising safety concerns for air travel. To alleviate the pressure of staff shortages and reduce airspace safety risks, the Federal Aviation Administration decided to begin reducing flights at 40 major U.S. airports starting on the 7th, with the reduction rate increasing from an initial 4% to 10% by the 14th.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy warned on the 9th that if the 'shutdown' continues, air traffic will be 'almost at a standstill'.
In an interview with CNN, he said that if the federal government 'shutdown' continues, the situation will only get worse, and it is expected that in the two weeks before Thanksgiving at the end of November, air traffic will be 'almost at a standstill'.