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In today’s issue:

▪ Airports cutting capacity due to shutdown

▪ Trump meeting with Hungary's Orbán

▪ ‘Sandwich guy’ acquitted

▪ Uncertainty on Trump nuclear tests

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Many of the country’s largest airports are set to operate at reduced capacity starting Friday as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) takes steps to maintain airline safety amid the government shutdown.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told reporters on Tuesday the air travel system will experience “mass chaos” if the shutdown doesn’t end by Nov. 11, featuring flight delays, cancellations and the possible closing of certain parts of the U.S. airspace. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the next day that the agency would reduce flights by 10 percent at 40 “high-volume markets” throughout the country to ensure safety.

The rollbacks come as the agency faces staffing shortages amid the lapse in government funding. Air traffic controllers have been working without pay for more than a month since the shutdown began on Oct. 1, and many have been required to work six days per week as part of mandatory overtime.

Absences have increased over these past weeks, causing disruptions to the country’s air travel system. Staffing issues plagued air-traffic controllers long before the shutdown began.

“We’re not going to wait for a safety problem to truly manifest itself when the early indicators are telling us we can take action today to prevent things from deteriorating,” Bedford said at a press conference Wednesday.

A preliminary list of airports included in the reduction features almost every major air travel hub, from New York City to Washington, D.C., to Chicago to Los Angeles.

A source briefed on the matter told NewsNation that the reductions will start at 4 percent on Friday before increasing to 10 percent. They said this is the “preliminary understanding,” but the aviation industry is waiting for the final word.

The Associated Press reported that up to 1,800 flights and 268,000 seats could be affected.

Delays and cancellations have already been an issue for weeks amid the shutdown, but this rollback would mark a major step up in travelers’ struggles. This will become more pronounced if the shutdown lingers closer toward Thanksgiving at the end of the month.

Momentum seemed to be increasing toward the parties reaching a deal as the shutdown reached record length this week. But widespread Democratic wins on Election Day and Democrats’ distrust of President Trump have stalled those talks.

The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports that six Democrats are willing to reopen the government if they receive promises from Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) that the president will stop freezing federal funds approved by Congress, but a lack of concessions from Trump directly is preventing a clear path to end the shutdown from forming.

Bipartisan talks are continuing, but Senate Republicans’ inability to secure commitments from Trump or Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) are limiting progress, Bolton reports.

But Thune has scheduled a vote for Friday with the hope of ending the funding gap. The vote will be on the House-passed continuing resolution, which has failed to advance 14 times, but Thune is adding a three-bill spending package that has been part of negotiations with Democrats, a Senate GOP aide said.

The bill would also push back the funding window’s end date from Nov. 21, which is rapidly approaching, to January. The package will likely take days to clear because of objections, potentially from members of both sides of the aisle.

Democrats weren’t clear about whether they were on board following a caucus lunch on Thursday.

“We’ll find out how serious the Democrats are or not,” Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said after lunch.

▪ The Hill: Federal judge orders administration to provide full food stamps benefits.

▪ The Hill: Staffers running Capitol Hill left without pay.

Smart Take with Blake Burman

If you’re flying anytime soon, prepare yourself. Airlines are announcing massive flight cancellations across the country, as they comply with the FAA’s order to reduce traffic at 40 airports. The Trump administration says the scale-backs are necessary to keep the skies safe as the government shutdown strains staffing levels in air traffic control towers.

Former FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt told me that whenever a funding deal is struck to reopen the government, which would lead to air traffic controllers getting their paychecks, it still could take a few days after that to get the country’s airspace back to full service.

“They're going to have to get everybody spun back up, get people back to work, and I think it's going to take several days, and then the carriers are going to have to restore their scheduling of aircraft, their crews,” Babbitt told me. “You're going to run into compounding problems if this continues.”

Air travel issues helped pressure Congress to end the last extended government shutdown in the first Trump administration. However, there's no sign, at least yet, that it will be the catalyst to end this shutdown.

3 Things to Know Today

1. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) entered the New York gubernatorial race on Friday against Gov. Kathy Hochul (D). Stefanik shifted toward a gubernatorial run after Trump withdrew her nomination as United Nations ambassador earlier this year.

2. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) confirmed it had been hacked in a “security incident.” A spokesperson said the CBO immediately acted to contain the fallout and is investigating the matter.

3. House Democrats are requesting a transcribed interview with Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, about his knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s actions.

Leading the Day

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks with the media as he arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, June 26, 2025. (Omar Havana, Associated Press)

ORBÁN AT WHITE HOUSE: Trump will meet with his ally, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, at the White House Friday as the president presses........

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