Pilots' associations are calling on U.S. lawmakers to reach a funding agreement to reopen the government as holiday travel looms. (Joseph Prezioso / AFP/Getty Images)
Democrats, however, have denied the claims and pinned blame for the shutdown on their Republican colleagues.
The shutdown has led to delays at massive travel hubs such as Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Newark, New Jersey, as air traffic controllers — who are employed by the Federal Aviation Administration — suffer staffing shortages.
Reven's statement comes as travelers gear up for holiday flights for Thanksgiving and Christmas, with a White House official telling Fox News Digital that as the shutdown continues, it "threatens to ruin the holidays." The 2025 holiday season is expected to break travel records as Americans book trips at a higher pace than 2024, travel forecasters reported in October.
"There is no reason the Democrat shutdown should have ever happened, let alone last this long," the official said. "But the longer it goes on, the more it threatens to ruin the holidays, not only for the Americans missing paychecks but also for every American that travels during the holidays."
The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association's press release specifically called on lawmakers to pass a budget as the nation's entire National Airspace System depends on it.
TRUMP’S WEEK IN REVIEW: SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWNS AND ARMED CARTEL CONFLICT
A police office outside of the U.S. Capitol in August 2025. (Getty Images)
President Donald Trump accused Senate Democrats of "holding the entire federal government hostage" Tuesday while demanding the government reopen by passing a "clean, bipartisan CR."
"They are the obstructionists," he said. "And the reason they're doing it is because we're doing so well. We're doing well all over the world."
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Tuesday that he and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., reached out to Trump to request a meeting to negotiate an end to the shutdown.
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"Hakeem and I reached out to the president today and urged him to sit down and negotiate with us to resolve the healthcare crisis, address it and end the Trump shutdown," Schumer said. "He should sit — the things get worse every day for the American people. He should sit down with us, negotiate in a serious way before he goes away."
Fox News Digital's Alex Miller contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ongoing-government-shutdown-threatens-holiday-travel-pilots-rally-lawmakers-reach-agreement