At this time, Congress remains knee-deep in a struggle to agree on federal spending. Republicans and Democrats alike have to come up with a consensus that's popular enough to get the necessary voters.

If this doesn't happen (which is looking more and more likely), then it's only a matter of time before the federal government shuts down. When government shutdowns happen, federal workers don't get paid, a situation that would only add stress to an already strained economy.

As Republicans and Democrats point fingers at one another to blame for a possible shutdown, there's another factor at play here that would adversely impact millions of Americans.

Air travel gridlock to come

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated this weekend that if the government shuts down, air travel will suffer subsequently.

According to Buttigieg, this would interfere with employee training for air traffic control, an area that's desperately in need of more workers. The Transportation Secretary also stressed that air traffic control personnel who are already working will face added strain if they end up having to work without compensation.

Later, Buttigieg stressed that the federal government is also trying to update technology that impacts transit, process refunds for passengers who suffered flight delays, and more. Though all of this will undergo disruption if Congress fails to avoid a government shutdown.

So far, the fastest way to prevent air travel gridlock and other subsequent issues is for US lawmakers to approve a temporary funding measure.

Time to prepare for the worst?

Issues with air travel would arrive just as the industry is beginning to find stable ground again. It wasn't too long ago that travelers regularly received notifications of mass flight delays and cancellations, owing to the weather, staffing shortages, or other complications.

All things considered, this isn't something most of the country wants to go back to. In fact, since COVID, there's been a major uptick in demand for travel, something the airline industry has struggled with.

For now, Americans will have to wait and see whether or not Congress manages to avert the government shutdown that so many people are dreading.