Kent Nishimura/BloombergCongress is stalled in negotiations to keep the government open past the end of the month, which could affect air travel as the U.S. as the Department of Transportation announces progress on solving a shortage of air traffic controllers. The FAA currently relies on formula funding and appropriations which could be interrupted by a government shutdown. The idea of shuttering FAA operations during a government shutdown typically spurs Congress to action. introduced a bill to keep the FAA open and employees working by drawing funding from the Airports and Airways Trust Fund in the event of a shutdown. An identical bill was introduced in 2021 when the FAA was also threatened by a shutdown.