The government shutdown is estimated to cost the nation’s tourism industry $1 billion per week, in addition to placing an “unnecessary strain on an already overextended federal travel workforce,” Geoff Freeman, CEO and president of the US Travel Association, said in a statement. “The longer a shutdown drags on, the more likely we are to see longer TSA lines, flight delays and cancellations, national parks in disrepair, and unnecessary delays in modernizing travel infrastructure,” Freeman said. Government employees in the air travel sector, including air traffic controllers and TSA officers, are deemed “essential” and thus must continue working even during a government shutdown.