Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blasted Democratic senators on Friday for continuing to hold out on a deal to reopen the government as Americans face a wave of flight cancellations and delays this weekend.

Duffy said at an event that the 10% reduction in domestic flights imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration this week could be ramped up to 20% reductions if the government remains shut down.

“If this continues, and I have more controllers who decide they can’t come to work, can’t control the airspace, but instead have to take a second job — with that, you might see 10 percent would have been a good number, because we might go to 15 percent or 20 percent,” Duffy warned, according to The Hill.

Speaking to reporters at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Duffy said the Senate needs to remain in Washington, D.C., to pass a spending bill and reopen the government so air traffic controllers can receive their pay.

“Let’s open the government up, let’s pay our controllers, and reduce the pressure,” Duffy said. “That’s not happening. The Senate is actually going home this weekend. As many people here can’t get home, the Senate goes home. They should be here every day, every weekend, every week trying to find a deal, so we can open the government back up.”

“I’m getting sniped at by some Democrats,” he added. “I don’t like it. I didn’t put us in this situation. They did.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said on Friday that he would likely keep the Senate in session over the weekend as Republicans urge their Democratic colleagues to come to an agreement on a short-term spending bill. Thune added that the Senate would likely vote on another stopgap bill over the weekend.

Duffy urged passengers who are upset over their flights getting delayed or canceled to “call your Democrat senator.”

“Fourteen times they voted no to open up the government,” he added.

“They should be here every day, every weekend, every week, trying to find a deal so we can open the government back up.”

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy calls out Democrats in Congress for repeatedly failing to end the government shutdown, warning that the pain air travelers… pic.twitter.com/1LJO0Eyfep

— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 7, 2025

More than 1,200 flights nationwide have been canceled so far on Friday, with another 16,000 flights delayed, according to FlightAware. Friday’s flight disruptions come as the FAA is requiring airlines to reduce domestic flights at 40 of the nation’s busiest airports. Duffy, along with FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, said on Wednesday that the flight reductions are being imposed to ensure air travel safety due to a shortage of air traffic controllers caused by the government shutdown.

Americans are growing more concerned that the flight disruptions could continue into the Thanksgiving holiday, which is typically the busiest travel weekend of the year.

The State Department said Thursday that it had revoked the visas of over 80,000 people for reasons ranging from drunk driving to support for terrorism.

The announcement put the pace of visa revocation at more than double the total last year, the Trump administration said.

“Promises made, promises kept. [President Donald Trump] and [Secretary of State Marco Rubio] will always put the safety and interests of the American people first,” the State Department wrote on X.

Promises made, promises kept 👏@POTUS and @SecRubio will always put the safety and interests of the American people first. pic.twitter.com/Wy8G06WVkv

— Department of State (@StateDept) November 6, 2025

Around 16,000 had their visas revoked for driving under the influence, 12,000 for assault incidents, and 8,000 for theft. Other reasons cited for the revocations include supporting terrorism, visa overstay, or being an “actual terrorist.”

The Washington Examiner first reported on the visa revocation. State Department principal deputy spokesman Tommy Pigott told the outlet that the Trump administration “will not hesitate to revoke visas from foreigners who undermine our laws or threaten our national security.”

“Our message is clear: Entry to America is a privilege, not a right, and we will always put the safety and interests of the American people first,” he added.

In September, the State Department revoked the visas of foreign nationals who made celebratory remarks about the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Individuals from Argentina, South Africa, Mexico, Brazil, and Paraguay all lost their status over remarks on Kirk’s killing.

In one instance, an Argentine national said that Kirk “devoted his entire life spreading racist, xenophobic, misogynistic rhetoric” and deserved to burn in hell.

“The United States has no obligation to host foreigners who wish death on Americans. The State Department continues to identify visa holders who celebrated the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk,” a State Department official said at the time.

In May, Rubio was directed by Trump to start aggressively revoking the visas of Chinese students with close ties to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in “critical fields.” Rubio said the department would be increasing scrutiny for approving future applications from China and Hong Kong.