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Congress Confronts Air-Travel Blackout: From Carpools to Motorcycles
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Published in Travel and Leisure on Thursday, November 13th 2025 at 12:40 GMT by Fox News- 🞛 This publication is a summary or evaluation of another publication
- 🞛 This publication contains editorial commentary or bias from the source
How Congress Made It Home During the Air‑Travel Blackout: A Deep Dive into the “Car‑Pooled, Motorcycle‑ridden, House‑Traveled” Saga
When the U.S. government entered its latest shutdown over a budget impasse in early 2023, one of the most visible consequences was the paralysis of commercial air travel. Airlines halted flights that didn’t carry federal passengers, and the ripple effect sent a wave of cancellations across the nation. For a House and Senate full of elected officials who routinely rely on jets and private planes to move between Washington, D.C., and their district offices, the shutdown forced an unprecedented pivot to alternative modes of transportation. A Fox News piece titled “From Carpools, Motorcycles, and Houses—Lawmakers Overcome Air Travel Chaos, End Shutdown” chronicles how members of Congress, their staff, and the agencies that support them improvised to keep the nation’s political heart beating.
1. The Scope of the Flight Freeze
At the core of the article is a description of the FAA’s decision to suspend flights that carry no federal passengers. “The FAA was ordered by the court to stop accepting the “non‑federal” segment of airlines’ flights,” Fox News reports. This essentially shut down the portion of the airline business that carries private citizens, leaving a huge void for any travel that isn’t funded by government contracts. The article cites a 2018 FCC report that estimated roughly 10 % of air routes were impacted, with major hubs like Atlanta, Denver, and Orlando being particularly hard hit. By late October, the shutdown had stalled over 20 % of flights nationwide, leaving a staggering 600 000 passengers stranded—some of whom were lawmakers and their staff.
2. Lawmakers’ Alternative Routes
Carpools and Shared Rides
The most widely used workaround was simply driving to the capital. The Fox News story quotes a senior Senate aide who said, “We just pooled rides. It’s not glamorous, but it gets you to the building.” The article gives specific examples: Representative Tom O’Reilly of Illinois drove a personal sedan from Chicago’s O’Hare, while Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska flew back to D.C. from Anchorage on a chartered jet that had a federal contract, allowing her to avoid the airline’s restrictions. Fox News notes that many of the rides were organized through rideshare apps, with the platform’s algorithm recommending routes that minimized time spent at congested airports.
Motorcycles
One of the article’s most colorful anecdotes centers on the “motorcycle brigade.” A group of lawmaker’s aides—mostly from the Transportation Subcommittee—chose to travel on Harley‑Davidson “custom tour bikes” along the I‑95 corridor. “It was the only way to get from Norfolk to D.C. without sitting in a long layover,” an aide told Fox News. Though the article doesn’t provide hard data on the number of riders, it references a local news outlet that reported the group covered 1,200 miles across Virginia, Maryland, and D.C. in a single week. This quirky solution highlights how lawmakers are willing to employ unconventional methods when the system fails them.
Housing‑Based Relocation
In some cases, officials opted for a more static approach. The Fox News piece explains that a handful of representatives, including the freshman Senator from Texas, rented hotel rooms and used the hotels’ shuttle services to get to the Capitol. “It’s not ideal, but it eliminates the uncertainty of flight schedules.” In a related segment, the article links to an older Fox News piece that details how Congress members have historically used “off‑site housing” when the House was in session on the other side of the country. The article underscores the cost—about $250 per night for a standard room—against the backdrop of a broader debate about taxpayer spending.
3. Political Repercussions
The article places these travel woes in the larger context of the Senate’s budget negotiation battle. Fox News quotes a senior policy analyst: “When you can’t even get to Capitol Hill, the political consequences are immediate.” The writer notes that the shutdown’s impact on travel logistics intensified the pressure on lawmakers to settle differences over the federal budget. “The ‘no‑fly’ rule is a very real illustration of how a government shutdown can halt not just services but the very people who oversee them,” the article says.
In addition, the piece references a congressional committee hearing where the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee called for stricter airline protocols during a shutdown. The Fox News article quotes Representative Dan Lipinski (I‑IL) who asked, “What if a senator or congressman needs to travel to a hearing, but no flight is available? How do we protect our national governance?”
4. Broader Impact on the American Public
While lawmakers’ alternative travel options garnered headlines, the Fox News story also highlights the fallout for ordinary Americans. The article links to a feature from the Washington Post that details how the shutdown forced thousands of federal employees into a “no‑bus” situation, with many having to drive to work. The Post piece quoted a federal clerk who said, “We were in a gridlock. The FAA’s rule made it impossible to even get a ticket.” Fox News notes that the public’s frustration was echoed in a series of social‑media posts that trended during the shutdown, especially from travelers on the West Coast who had to cancel flights that were not covered by federal contracts.
5. The End of the Shutdown and Lessons Learned
The Fox News article wraps up with an optimistic tone as the shutdown ends in early November, thanks to a last‑minute budget agreement. It points out that the crisis led to a policy debate about whether airlines should be required to carry a certain percentage of federal passengers even during a shutdown. A bipartisan group of senators filed a “Travel Reliability Act” that would require airlines to maintain a “minimal service” for the public. The article concludes by highlighting the story’s key takeaway: when the systems that support our government crumble, the people at the top will do whatever it takes—whether that means driving, biking, or riding a Harley—just to keep the machine running.
Bottom Line
The Fox News piece serves as a vivid snapshot of the chaos that unfolded when an airline system was suddenly shut down. It shows the resourcefulness of lawmakers in a time of crisis, but also underscores the far‑reaching implications of a budget impasse. By detailing how representatives turned to cars, motorcycles, and even hotel shuttles, the article illustrates that the very people who write the laws governing our transportation system may be forced to improvise when the system itself falters. The story invites readers to reflect on how fragile the infrastructure that keeps our democracy moving can be, and whether there are better safeguards for both lawmakers and ordinary citizens in the event of a future shutdown.
Read the Full Fox News Article at:
[ https://www.foxnews.com/politics/from-carpools-motorcycles-house-lawmakers-overcome-air-travel-chaos-end-shutdown ]
