Shutdown leaves lasting damage

The government shutdown started October 1 and ended November 12, 2025. With this being the longest government shutdown in history, there are many repercussions, which include delayed flight services, strained budgets for both citizens and the government, and work force burnout.

Statistics show that more than 6 million U.S. travelers planned to take domestic flights during the holiday season in 2024, but numbers have drastically changed this year due to the government shutdown. In 2025, flight bookings slowed. As of November 24, 2025, flight bookings went down 4.48% from last year. Since citizens were not being paid during this time frame. Most didn't show up to their jobs. This is very important because it was the start of a workforce burnout during the shutdown, and citizens feared losing their jobs.

According to Federal News Network, out of 3,647 individuals who completed the survey, 3,294 were current federal employees, 175 individuals were federal employees who left federal service in the last six months, and 104 were contractors. They said they felt high stress, anxiety and depression during the shutdown and reported morale and productivity were extremely low.

U.S. unemployment rate went up 4.4% throughout the shutdown. Critics blamed President Donald Trump for the unemployment rate going up because deporting illegal immigrants makes for less workers. “The weak job-growth story can't be brushed aside. Hiring is still stuck in stall speed, and job growth in the cyclical parts of the economy isn't sending a comforting signal,” said Olu, Sonola, head of U.S. economic research.

Unemployment rates in October went up 173,000 then they have been in five years. Along with workforce burnout and many delayed flights, inflation rose up 0.2% in November and also went back up in December.Although many people lost their jobs in October through November rates of employment are going back up rapidly.