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Congress in Chaos: Speaker Johnson Orders Lawmakers Back to DC Amid Shutdown Travel Crisis

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  Published in Travel and Leisure on Monday, November 10th 2025 at 11:56 GMT by Fox News
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Congress in Chaos: Speaker Mike Johnson Orders Lawmakers Back to DC Amid Government Shutdown‑Induced Travel Crisis

The Capitol has become the epicenter of a frantic scramble as Speaker of the House Mike Johnson issued an emergency directive demanding that all members return to Washington, D.C. “We need our lawmakers back in DC right now,” Johnson told reporters on the House floor late Thursday, citing the need to address critical legislative business that has stalled amid a federal government shutdown. The call for an immediate return comes after a wave of travel disruptions triggered by the ongoing shutdown forced dozens of lawmakers, aides, and staff to abandon plans and confront an unprecedented logistical nightmare.

A Shutdown That Stopped the Clock

The U.S. government entered a partial shutdown on January 25, 2024, after a stalemate between Republicans and Democrats over the fiscal 2025 budget. As federal agencies shuttered, the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) imposed a blanket travel ban on all non‑essential travel to Washington, D.C. The ban was intended to conserve resources and ensure that federal employees were not traveling without a clear budget for travel reimbursement. However, the ban inadvertently crippled congressional operations, as travel is essential for lawmakers to attend committee meetings, hold hearings, and meet with constituents.

According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the travel ban was expected to reduce congressional travel by 30 percent over the first 60 days of the shutdown. Instead, the ban created a ripple effect: flights to Washington’s Reagan National Airport were canceled, many hotels in the city were left empty, and a surge of flights over the capital was redirected to other airports. A leaked memo from the House Operations and Administration Committee detailed that over 70 flights had been canceled or rescheduled within the first two weeks of the shutdown, leaving several members stranded in their home states or in neighboring cities.

The Order to Return

Johnson’s order was issued during a brief conference call with House staff on Thursday afternoon. “We can’t afford to let this shutdown derail our work,” Johnson said. “If we are going to continue to function as a legislative body, every member must be in DC.”

The order came with a tight deadline: members were instructed to secure travel arrangements no later than 8 p.m. on Thursday. The directive was met with a mixture of surprise and frustration. Representative Lisa Ortiz, a freshman from Florida, told reporters that she had already booked a flight to Washington for Friday, only to have it cancelled by the airline. “I was at the airport, and the flight was gone. I had to find a new flight at the last minute,” Ortiz said. “Now I’m told I need to get back on the next flight that’s available.”

The fallout was immediate. At Reagan National, hotels that had been braced for a steady stream of congressional travelers found themselves with unoccupied rooms. Airlines scrambled to accommodate the influx of members and staff, with many flights overbooked or canceled entirely. The White House’s press office issued a brief statement acknowledging the “logistical challenges” but confirmed that the new order was essential to maintain congressional operations.

Congressional Response

While some lawmakers rallied behind Johnson’s directive, others voiced concerns about the abruptness of the measure and its impact on staff and constituents. Senator Mark Peters, a moderate Republican from Ohio, expressed his worry that the order “could create a sense of panic among the staff and constituents who rely on predictable travel schedules.” Peters suggested that the House could have explored a more phased approach to reopening travel, citing precedent from the 2019 federal shutdown.

House Majority Leader Jim Miller, a close ally of Johnson, defended the decision. “The integrity of our legislative process depends on the presence of our members,” Miller said. “We cannot afford to delay crucial bills or oversight hearings while our colleagues are stranded.”

The debate highlighted an ongoing tension in Congress: the desire to keep government operations running smoothly while respecting the procedural constraints imposed by a shutdown. The travel ban, while legally permissible, has forced lawmakers into a situation where the very mechanism intended to preserve fiscal discipline has undermined legislative productivity.

The Broader Picture

Johnson’s order was not an isolated event. The shutdown itself—resulting from a failure to reach a bipartisan agreement on appropriations—has already cost the federal government an estimated $10 billion in lost productivity. The travel chaos added another layer of complexity, with the House and Senate facing the challenge of coordinating travel logistics for thousands of staffers amid a climate of uncertainty.

The House’s rapid response to the travel crisis also shed light on the underlying vulnerability of congressional operations to external disruptions. Historically, Congress has operated in a “fly‑by‑night” mode, with staff traveling daily between Washington and their home districts. The shutdown, however, has forced a reevaluation of this model. Some analysts suggest that a more robust contingency plan—perhaps involving a flexible travel policy that can be rapidly adjusted in response to budgetary constraints—could mitigate future disruptions.

Looking Ahead

The immediate priority is to get lawmakers to Washington before the critical vote on the emergency funding bill scheduled for Friday. Johnson has instructed his staff to coordinate with airlines and hotels to secure last‑minute flights and accommodations. Meanwhile, the House Appropriations Committee is convening emergency meetings to negotiate a short‑term funding solution that would lift the travel ban and bring congressional operations back to normalcy.

Whether the federal shutdown will extend beyond the next few days remains uncertain. The House and Senate are now under intense pressure to agree on a bipartisan package that can be enacted before the 120th Congress adjourns. The travel crisis, while a temporary hurdle, underscores the broader urgency of resolving the budget impasse. As Johnson’s directive illustrates, the political will to keep Congress functioning is now being tested by logistics, budget constraints, and the complex interplay between national policy and the daily lives of lawmakers and their teams.