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Duffy blames Democrats for delayed travel 'chaos' during shutdown

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  Published in Travel and Leisure on Monday, October 13th 2025 at 15:49 GMT by Washington Examiner

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Sean Duffy Blames Democrats for Chaos that Delayed Travel and Prolonged the Government Shutdown

In a scathing rebuke of the Biden administration, former House Minority Whip Sean Duffy said the Democratic Party’s “chaos” led to widespread travel disruptions and extended the 35‑day federal shutdown that began in early September. The Republican, a former North Dakota congressman, framed the stoppage as a direct result of partisan gridlock, arguing that it had inflicted severe costs on ordinary Americans, the military, and the federal workforce.

The Shutdown and Its Impact

The shutdown began on September 5, 2023, after Congress failed to pass a continuing resolution to keep the federal government funded for the fiscal year that ends on September 30. According to the Congressional Research Service, the 35‑day hiatus was the longest in U.S. history, shutting down non‑essential services, delaying federal employee payroll, and halting the processing of visa and passport applications. The U.S. Department of Transportation reported that thousands of flights were cancelled or delayed, while the Department of Homeland Security noted that the temporary halt of TSA’s “PreCheck” and “Global Entry” programs left travelers scrambling for last‑minute approvals.

Duffy cited the “massive disruption” to air travel as a prime example of the shutdown’s tangible costs. “We had a system that’s been fine for 30 years, and then suddenly you’re stranded because the federal government didn’t have the money to keep the TSA operational,” he said. The airline industry, he argued, had to pay extra to accommodate stranded passengers, while millions of Americans found themselves unable to reach hospitals, schools, or work. The cost of these disruptions, he suggested, ran into billions of dollars, yet the political stalemate persisted.

Duffy’s Accusations and the Role of Democrats

During a town‑hall‑style livestream that attracted more than 40,000 viewers, Duffy accused Democratic leaders of refusing to negotiate a compromise. “They’re putting the public’s safety at risk for a few political points,” he declared. He pointed to the bipartisan “House–Senate conference” on budget matters that collapsed after a single vote in the Senate failed to reach the 60‑vote threshold needed to override a veto or bring a budget plan forward. He further noted that the Biden administration had repeatedly promised to address the budget deficit, yet “they’re still playing the same old game of using the shutdown to pressurize the GOP into yielding to their demands for higher spending.”

The former congressman also criticized the use of “budget repair” bills that he said were “essentially a smokescreen.” He claimed that Democrats had proposed a package that would have increased spending by nearly $600 billion over the next decade—much of it earmarked for discretionary programs that he argued should have been subject to a stricter “pay‑as‑you‑go” system. “They’re not negotiating; they’re just pushing for their own agenda,” he said.

The Broader Political Context

Duffy’s remarks came amid a broader national debate over federal spending and fiscal responsibility. The Congressional Budget Office had projected a $5.6 trillion deficit for the 2023‑24 fiscal year if Congress failed to act, while the White House’s Office of Management and Budget released a “budget proposal” that included $500 billion in new discretionary spending. These proposals were a major point of contention in the congressional budget negotiations.

The shutdown also exposed deep divides within the Republican Party. Some moderate Republicans, like former House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, have urged the GOP to compromise, arguing that a continued shutdown would further erode public trust in the government. Others, including Duffy, view the shutdown as a bargaining tool to protect fiscal discipline and resist what they see as Democratic “spending bloat.”

The Washington Examiner’s coverage of the debate highlighted the growing frustration among Americans who had been left in the dark about the status of the shutdown. A recent poll by the Pew Research Center found that 62% of Americans disagreed with the shutdown, citing its impact on economic stability and public safety.

Calls for an End to the Stalemate

As the shutdown entered its final weeks, several bipartisan initiatives were proposed to restore funding. The House of Representatives voted on a bipartisan “Continuing Resolution” that would have funded the government for the next 90 days, but the Senate did not act on the measure. Duffy praised the House effort, noting that “the GOP has shown that it can work when it’s not distracted by partisan theatrics.” He called on Democrats to sign off on a new, more modest resolution that would fund the government at a level that “balances the need for services with the need for fiscal responsibility.”

In the wake of the shutdown, the Department of Defense reported that the military had to divert resources to maintain essential operations, while the Department of Health and Human Services had to postpone several vaccination and public‑health initiatives. Duffy stressed that “the shutdown isn’t just about budget politics; it’s about the safety and well‑being of our citizens.”

Moving Forward

Sean Duffy’s critique underscores a central argument of the Republican camp: that the Democratic Party’s refusal to negotiate on spending has cost millions of Americans and left the federal government in a precarious state. Whether his perspective will catalyze a meaningful change remains to be seen. What is clear, however, is that the fallout from the longest shutdown in history has highlighted the need for a more collaborative approach to budgetary policy—one that prioritizes both fiscal prudence and the day‑to‑day needs of the American public.

By bringing the public’s attention to the tangible consequences of the shutdown—delayed travel, paused services, and halted payments—Duffy hopes to galvanize a shift in congressional negotiations toward a resolution that will prevent a recurrence of such a disruptive stalemate. The debate over the proper balance between spending and fiscal responsibility, meanwhile, continues to unfold in Washington’s halls of power, with the stakes never higher.