It will also pile pressure on Congress to end the ongoing government shutdown, which is the longest in history. Transportation secretary Sean Duffy explained that the reduction in flights will “alleviate the pressure” on the Federal Aviation Administration’s air traffic controllers, who’ve been working without pay since the shutdown began on October 1. He’d previously warned of sweeping flight reductions earlier this week, even threatening to cease all flights ahead of the holiday. The situation has been so dire that some airlines have started providing meals to the air traffic controllers at the nation’s most vital hubs. Like many government agencies, the FAA was targeted with layoffs early into the Trump administration.