Check your Friday flight. Thousands are about to be canceled.
The FAA just made an unprecedented move. Air traffic controllers are unpaid, exhausted, and breaking under a shutdown that’s now the longest in U.S. history.
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TL;DR: Republicans are suing California for doing what Texas did (and Newsom told them, “Good luck, losers”).
Meanwhile, the FAA just announced flight cuts that will hit Thanksgiving travel, an unprecedented move for the FAA, the first of its kind linked to a government shutdown.
When Congress Fails, the Sky Falls
Tomorrow morning, thousands of air traffic controllers across America will open their email and see a pay stub.
It will say zero. For the second time.
These are the people who guide your plane through storms and who coordinate hundreds of aircraft over cities like invisible choreographers. Majority of them work mandatory six-day weeks in dark rooms with bright screens that glow who make split-second decisions that keep your family safe at 35,000 feet in the air.
And tomorrow, for the 37th day of this shutdown, they’ll get nothing.
Yesterday, on November 5th, the Federal Aviation Administration made an announcement that’s never happened before in the 35-year career of its own administration: starting Friday morning, they’re cutting flight capacity by 10% at airports.
When Your Thanksgiving Flight Disappears
The FAA manages about 44,000 flights every day. A 10% reduction could disrupt between 1,800 and 4,000 flights daily starting Friday, according to analysts.
That’s your sister trying to get home for Thanksgiving. Your business trip that just became impossible. The family reunion that took months to plan. The medical appointment your loved one made three states away.
One commenter in our community: “Remember when Republicans used to get their panties in a twist about government interference in private enterprise?”
Another wrote in our 50501 Facebook Group: “They are crushing us regular people (food, healthcare, travel) because M. Johnson won’t come back into session.”
And congress is getting a 7 week paid vacation while air traffic controllers show up exhausted, take side jobs between shifts, and somehow keep us safe.
The Unseen Heroes of the Sky
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said yesterday, “What we’re finding is that our air traffic controllers, because of the financial pressures at home, are taking side jobs.”
The person making sure your plane doesn’t collide with another plane in mid-air is working a second job because Congress can’t do the one job we pay them for.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford has never seen anything like this in 35 years. He described controllers showing “fatigue”, a clinical word for what’s they are experiencing. These essential workers are choosing between feeding their families and keeping Americans safe while flying.
Last weekend saw the worst staffing shortages yet and on Sunday, 5,000 flights were delayed in major airports like Newark, JFK, O’Hare, Atlanta.
Meanwhile, In California: “Good Luck, Losers”
California voters just approved Proposition 50 by a landslide at 64% to 36%.
The measure temporarily redraws congressional districts to give Democrats up to five more House seats, directly countering Texas Republicans’ gerrymander from earlier this year.
This morning, less than 12 hours after polls closed, California Republicans filed a federal lawsuit claiming the new maps are unconstitutional.
Governor Gavin Newsom’s response:
“We haven’t reviewed the lawsuit, but if it’s from the California Republican Party and Harmeet Dhillon’s law firm, it’s going to fail. Good luck, losers.”
A sitting governor actually said. “Good luck, losers.” to a lawsuit led by Trump’s own Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights.
And honestly?… It’s about time.
What’s Good for the Goose, Still Good for the Gander
For decades, Democrats stuck to the idea that fairness was a strategy and that if we played by the rules, truth and time would vindicate us. The other party learned that power rewards those willing to break the rules and call it “politics.”
Texas gerrymandered their maps mid-decade? That was just politics.
Florida eliminated competitive districts? Smart strategy.
But California does the same thing with voter approval and now it’s a constitutional crisis?
Some Republicans are arguing that temporary redistricting violates equal protection because it “increases the power of Latino voters.” They’re suing to stop Latino representation from increasing.
The lawsuit claims Prop 50 is “racial gerrymandering.” Meanwhile, Texas’s maps were drawn specifically to dilute the voting power of growing Latino and Black populations, and that was... fine?
Have more to share? Tell us in the comments:
Polls Show GOP Strategy Backfires as Shutdown Drags On
The House has been in recess since September 19. Speaker Mike Johnson sent everyone home rather than negotiate, betting that Democrats would cave when Americans started feeling the pain.
He was half right about the pain part.
But Americans are smart enough to know who’s responsible.
Recent polling shows voters blame Trump and Republicans for this shutdown by significant margins. The strategy of “make it hurt so Democrats surrender” only works if people blame Democrats. And they don’t.
And now the consequences aren’t abstract anymore.
It’s not just federal workers missing paychecks (though 42 million Americans on SNAP are genuinely suffering).
It’s not just parks closing or passport delays.
It’s air traffic controllers taking Uber shifts between keeping planes from colliding.
It’s your Thanksgiving flight getting canceled on Friday morning.
It’s grandparents who won’t see their grandchildren for the holidays.
The anger and consequences are real and Democrats are done pretending otherwise.
Watergate’s Shadow, Trump’s Reflection
This isn’t the first time we’ve been here.
The 2018-2019 shutdown (also under Trump) lasted 35 days.
Air traffic controllers staged sickouts. And within hours of flights starting to get disrupted, the shutdown ended.
Republicans realized that Americans will tolerate a lot of political dysfunction right up until the moment it affects their ability to see family, do business, and live their lives.
This shutdown hit 36 days today which is now the longest in American history.
In 1974, Americans elected a wave of Democrats during Watergate, flipping 49 House seats. It feels very familiar: a scandal-ridden president, a complicit party, and a public that’s run out of patience.
In 2025, California voters just gave Democrats 5 potential House seats. New Jersey and Virginia elected Democratic governors. NYC elected a progressive mayor.
Do you see the pattern?
What We Can Do
If you’re traveling:
Check your flight status consistently starting Thursday evening
Have backup plans for Friday and beyond
The list of affected airports is reported to be dropped Thursday afternoon, share it everywhere
Airlines are required to refund canceled flights. Know your rights
Consider driving if it’s under 6 hours
For everyone:
Call Congress. The Capitol Switchboard is (202) 224-3121. Tell them the shutdown is affecting your life. Give them details and be specific.
Support air traffic controllers. NATCA (National Air Traffic Controllers Association) is the union. Share their statements and please, amplify their voices.
Share the California story. Republicans playing victim after getting beaten at their own game is chef’s kiss. Make sure everyone knows what’s happening.
Donate to food banks. With 42 million on SNAP affected, mutual aid networks are overwhelmed.
Register voters. The 2026 midterms are 12 months away.
Status: Unresolved
California followed procedure while Washington avoided it.
The outcome is now a matter of public record. One state expanded representation and one Congress abandoned responsibility.
Eventually the shutdown will end with a press release, a handshake, and a quote about “bipartisanship.” But we know how this played out: in canceled flights, unpaid workers, and a country that kept running despite its government.
We refuse fascism, kings, and dictators.
About The 50501 Movement Substack
The 50501 Movement is a grassroots organization mobilizing peaceful protests across all 50 states to defend democracy and reject authoritarianism. We’ve helped organize one of the largest protests in U.S. history, bringing millions to the streets. This is an independent publication documenting grassroots collective actions within the 50501 Movement.
This Substack brings you:
Stories that inspire action
Updates on upcoming events
Organizing resources and tools
Community connection and solidarity
THANK YOU
To our 80,000+ subscribers: You are the reason we keep fighting. The ones checking flight statuses for elderly relatives, the people calling Congress daily, the individuals sharing Prop 50 victories with skeptical friends. You deserve every bit of credit for not giving up.
This shutdown won’t break us and these flight cancellations won’t silence us. And when Democrats finally fight fire with fire to protect our freedom and democracy, you don’t apologize, you amplify.
Every share helps someone understand what’s happening through awareness. Every comment reminds an exhausted air traffic controller they’re not alone and that we see them. Every phone call to Congress chips away at their resolve to keep this shutdown going.
Check your flights. Make your calls. And most importantly, take care of each other.
In solidarity and safe travels,
Blue
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Uggh. Take a few billion of that ICE budget to pay the ATC’s. This administration is ridiculous.