The US Federal Aviation Administration plans to cut 10 percent of flights in 40 high-traffic airports on Friday morning if Congress fails to reopen the federal government by then, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA chief Bryan Bedford said Wednesday.

The announcement came days after the US agency said it faced widespread shortages of air traffic controllers in half of the country’s 30 busiest airports, and hours-long security lines caused by absences of Transportation Security Administration agents. Federal workers have now gone 35 days without a paycheck amid the longest government shutdown in US history.

Which flights might be canceled, and where, “is data-based,” Duffy said Wednesday. “This is based on, where is the pressure and how do we alleviate the pressure?”

When

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