American air travelers face ongoing disruptions as Senate moves to end shutdown

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent
 has warned the ongoing shutdown could make the U.S. economy “get worse and worse” as the holiday season approaches, potentially affecting Christmas.

Speaking on ABC’s “This Week” program, Bessent said the “human cost” of the shutdown may continue to grow. “But on the other side, there’s also, cargo is being slowed down,” he said. “So, you know, we could end up with shortages, whether it’s in our supply chain, whether it’s for the holidays.”

“Cargo and people are both being slowed down here. And that’s for safety’s sake,” he added.

Bessent also noted, “We had a fantastic economy under President Trump the past two quarters. And now there are estimates that economic growth for this quarter could be cut by as much as half, if the shutdown continues.”

Varun Gupta, professor of logistics and business analytics at the University of North Georgia, also confirmed to ABC News that about 10 percent of U.S. cargo moves by air.

Delivery giant FedEx told The Independent: “Contingency plans are in place to flex our integrated air and ground network to help protect time-sensitive, critical shipments such as lifesaving pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and other products move through our network without disruption,” a spokesperson said.