New Roadblocks in Shutdown Deal

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Balance of Power

Episode: New Roadblocks in Shutdown Deal
Date: November 6, 2025
Hosts: Joe Mathieu, Tyler Kendall (Bloomberg)

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Overview

In this episode, Joe Mathieu and Tyler Kendall provide up-to-the-minute coverage of the ongoing U.S. government shutdown, focusing sharply on the new disruptions in air travel and the standoff over health care subsidies. The show features interviews with key policymakers including Congresswoman Haley Stevens (D-MI), Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), and Congressman Sam Graves (R-MO), as well as expert panelists Lisa Kamoser Miller and Christina Greer. The discussion ranges from tangible impacts at airports, to behind-the-scenes negotiations, to the broader question of trust and political calculus in Congress.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Impact of the Shutdown on Air Travel

• Announcement: U.S. will cut flight capacity by 10% at 40 major airports to relieve pressure on unpaid air traffic controllers ([00:56]–[01:51]).
  • Major hubs like Atlanta, Dallas, New York City, Los Angeles, and Detroit are affected.
  • Airlines and passengers are bracing for disruption during the busy pre-Thanksgiving travel season.
  • The spillover has led to sold-out Amtrak trains, especially in the Northeast corridor.

Quote:
Senator Jerry Moran:

"There is going to be a 10% reduction in capacity at 40 of our locations." ([01:42])

• Wider Effects:
  • Some 100,000 air travelers will be affected daily ([28:19]).
  • Domestic flights face cancellations; international routes remain largely unaffected.
  • Concerns about recruiting and retaining air traffic controllers long-term.

Quote:
Joe Matthew:

"It's the reality for anybody who dares to get on a flight right now... the spillover is actually happening." ([02:37])

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2. Central Political Roadblock: Health Care Subsidies

• Democratic Position:
  • Congresswoman Haley Stevens argues the path to ending the shutdown is a vote to extend ACA (Obamacare) tax subsidies, as open enrollment headlines show people risk losing coverage ([03:28]–[04:48]).
  • She ties the issue to broader cost-of-living anxieties (rising food prices, credit card debt).
  • Urges action without delay: "We have waited long enough. Open enrollment has begun." ([04:48])

Quote:
Haley Stevens:

"People are logging in to sign up for open enrollment and it's 145% increase... we got to do everything we can to address this cost of living, of affordability nightmare for the American people and for my Michiganders." ([04:48])

• Negotiation Dynamics:
  • Questions on whether a promise of a vote (vs. a guaranteed deal) on subsidies is enough to reopen the government.
  • Stevens sees a two-year extension for subsidies as promising, to avoid immediate recurring battles ([07:29]).

Quote:
Haley Stevens:

"The bigger we can go in terms of keeping people covered at an affordable rate, the better..." ([06:24])

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3. Partisan Perspectives and Panel Analysis

Republican View:

• Senator Jerry Moran underscores the primacy of safety in reducing air traffic, but also frames the shutdown as damaging to government functioning and public trust ([19:43], [24:06]).

• Notes bipartisan talks, but perceives Democratic resistance to any deal lacking clear "victory."

• Rejects the shutdown as a winning political strategy:

  "I've never seen anybody get a pat on the back for the outcome of when things shut down." ([24:06])

• Sees potential in a phased deal, with some Democrats open to reopening with just a promise of action on health care.

Democratic View:

• Panelist Christina Greer resists the "both sides" framing, blaming the shutdown squarely on a Republican push to undermine Obamacare:

  "Democrats have been very clear... they don't want millions upon millions of Americans to lose their health care." ([13:17])

• Points out the importance of maintaining trust and the challenge of "saving face" for both parties.

Republican Strategy:

• Lisa Kamoser Miller expresses faith in Republican Senate negotiators but predicts both parties ultimately seek to "save face." She is unsure how the extremely tight timeline (approaching the November 21 funding deadline) will allow for a deal:

  "They're going to have to perform some magic behind the scenes. The deadline is looming." ([14:58])

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4. Broader Economic and Political Implications

• Election Connection: Affordability and rising costs are central to voters' lives and the political debate, influencing shutdown negotiations ([25:34]).
• Air Traffic Workforce:
  • Both Moran and Graves highlight longtime shortages in air traffic controllers exacerbated by the shutdown.
  • Training pipelines are filling, but delays and workforce uncertainty may deter future controllers ([19:58]; [34:12]).

Quote:
Sam Graves:

"These are very professional individuals and they know how important their job is... they're showing up and doing the work even now." ([34:12])

• Should controllers be paid during shutdowns? Graves argues yes:

  "They are essential workers, and I think they should be paid as essential workers." ([35:22])

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Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|-----------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:42 | Sen. Jerry Moran | "There is going to be a 10% reduction in capacity at 40 of our locations." | | 04:48 | Rep. Haley Stevens | "People are logging in to sign up for open enrollment and it's 145% increase..." | | 06:24 | Rep. Haley Stevens | "The bigger we can go in terms of keeping people covered at an affordable rate, the better..." | | 13:17 | Christina Greer | "Democrats have been very clear... they don't want millions of Americans to lose their health care."| | 24:06 | Sen. Jerry Moran | "I've never seen anybody get a pat on the back for the outcome of when things shut down." | | 35:22 | Rep. Sam Graves | "They are essential workers, and I think they should be paid as essential workers." |

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Important Segment Timestamps

• Shutdown travel impacts and policy context: [00:56]–[02:37]
• Rep. Haley Stevens on healthcare and shutdown: [03:28]–[08:42]
• Panel reaction—partisan trust, deal prospects: [11:31]–[15:51]
• Sen. Moran on aviation and shutdown politics: [19:43]–[28:59]
• Rep. Graves on air traffic control, workforce: [30:41]–[35:45]

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Tone & Takeaways

• Urgent, pragmatic, and often somber: The conversation captures the real-world impact of Washington gridlock, especially on mobility and affordability.
• Lawmakers and experts alike express frustration with the slow pace of negotiation, the erosion of trust, and the political posturing preventing real solutions.
• Optimism is cautious and measured: Some see a two-year health care subsidy extension as a possible compromise; others are deeply skeptical about a breakthrough before the November 21 deadline.
• Transport & Health Care—core sticking points: Both issues serve as windows into the broader policy and political stalemate.

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For listeners:
This episode provides a detailed look at the government shutdown's toll on the travel sector and how the health care subsidy debate continues to block progress. Interviews with influential lawmakers and seasoned commentators illuminate the tangled calculus and deeply-felt consequences underlying the political standoff.

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Transcript

[Joe Matthew]

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[Bloomberg Announcer]

Bloomberg Audio Studios podcasts Radio news. You're listening to the Bloomberg Balance of Power podcast. Catch us live weekdays at noon and 5pm Eastern on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with the Bloomberg Business app Listen on demand wherever you get your podcasts or watch us live on YouTube.

[Tyler Kendall]

I'm Tyler Kendall here alongside Joe Matthew in Washington and we are watching closely Capitol Hill as the government shutdown continues and Americans are starting to feel the impacts. In fact, yesterday the administration announced that the US will cut flight capacity by 10% at 40 high volume airports across the country. It's all in a bid to try to relieve the pressure on air traffic controllers amid the shutdown as they go without pay. We heard from the Transportation secretary, Sean Duffy yesterday announcing the new policy.

[Senator Jerry Moran]

I anticipate there will be additional disruptions. There will be frustration.

[Congressman Sam Graves]

We are working with the airlines, they're.

[Senator Jerry Moran]

Going to work with passengers.

[Congressman Sam Graves]

But in the end, our sole role is to make sure that we keep.

[Senator Jerry Moran]

This airspace as safe as possible. There is going to be a 10% reduction in capacity at 40 of our locations.

[Joe Matthew]

40 of our locations, high volume areas as he called them. And CBS News is actually talking about which airports are on the list. Tyler, we're still waiting for this to be made official. Right. When they're talking about some of the nation's busiest airports, though, think Atlanta, Dallas, New York City, Los Angeles. These aren't rural airports we're discussing and the airlines are a little bit concerned about this plan. So I wonder if we're going to have to wait because they're not ready to cut capacity in all these places.

[Tyler Kendall]

Right, exactly. Especially when you think about how we are about to head into one of the busiest travel seasons. We are approaching Thanksgiving now. Think about a lot of the lawmakers that are still out of town, still out of session on the House side, maybe having to come back into Washington. We'll see if that might fuel any of the pressure to help get the government back reopen.

[Joe Matthew]

There was no picnic getting back to Washington from New York this week. We were Living the story, waiting for hours to get from LaGuardia to DCA. And this is the reality for anybody who dares to get on a flight right now. I'll add the fact that a lot of Amtrak trains, at least in the so called Amtrak corridor here in the Northeast, are completely sold out. So the spillover is actually happening. And maybe this is good news for the trains. But Detroit, says producer James, apparently on the list, which is going to hit close to home for Haley Stevens. Imagine the life of a lawmaker. You're on a plane every week going back and forth to commute to work. And the congresswoman is with us now. The Democrat from Michigan who's running for U.S. senate could be faced with voting again on all of this stuff. And she's with us now live from Capitol Hill. Congresswoman, I'm not sure the last time you were on a plane, but I wonder if this is what brings this shutdown to an end. You tell us how you seeing it.

[Congresswoman Haley Stevens]

I'll tell you what's going to bring the shutdown to an end, Joe. It is a vote on extending the ACA tax subsidies. We are in a crisis already. People are losing their health care coverage. These are real headlines in Michigan in the middle of an affordability cost of living crisis. And the president has been nowhere to be found. He finally came up for air just the other day after the citing and recognizing that this shutdown was finally causing problems. But the problem began when colleagues decided not to negotiate and, and to compromise. And of course, no one likes a shutdown. We also cannot continue to see people lose their health care coverage. It is way too serious, particularly with other prices like at the grocery store, soaring to astronomical levels.

[Tyler Kendall]

Congresswoman, just for clarity here, would you advise your Democratic colleagues in the Senate to get on board with a plan for a vote on, on an extension of those ACA subsidies, as you were saying. But for that to happen after the government reopens, or does this all have to come together before that ultimate vote to reopen the government takes place?

[Congresswoman Haley Stevens]

I want to see that vote take place. We have waited long enough. Open enrollment has begun. Headlines in Michigan right now are talking about how people are going to be losing their coverage, how our insurers cannot be saddled right now with these costs, these cost realities. And people are logging in to, you know, sign up for open enrollment and it's 145% increase. We're also going to have to do some work to go back and address what has taken place for this first week during open enrollment so that's why I feel very strongly about a vote on the ACA subsidies. And frankly, it's a reminder about who's addressing these cost issues. I've got a bill to lower the cost of food. It's called no Tariffs on Groceries act because I know that we've got $1.3 trillion of credit card debt in our country. People are putting that grocery bill on a credit card and paying it off on interest. We got to do everything we can to address this cost of living, of affordability nightmare for the American people and for my Michiganders.

[Joe Matthew]

Yeah, Congresswoman, just to understand then, does the deal to bring a vote to the floor unlock the CR or do you need a deal with details on an extension, the timeline and what colors might come with that? I guess the question is, is a vote good?

[Congresswoman Haley Stevens]

Well, I'm always optimistic in terms of what we need to do for the American people, for the people of Michigan, it'd be absolutely incredible to be very comprehensive. The bigger we can go in terms of keeping people covered at an affordable rate, the better. And look, folks have been negotiating, we have been waiting for a long time and certainly this wasn't a surprise in this moment that this was going to come to a head. And so if, if we see a vote come down, that's a step in the positive direction to keeping people covered and on their health care.

[Joe Matthew]

Got it.

[Tyler Kendall]

Is there any talk on how long this extension would be? I was on Capitol Hill yesterday. I heard it seems like there seems to be a plan coalescing around two years. Is there a certain point in time that you are looking for specifically that would make that deal sweet enough for to get on board with the broader plan?

[Congresswoman Haley Stevens]

Yeah, I think a two year deal has a lot of promise, particularly because we don't have to go back to the drawing board immediately. We can continue to keep people covered, to keep costs low, to address a real reality for hardworking people. I'll tell you, when I'm in Michigan, this is readily on everyone's mind. Am I going to continue to be able to afford my health care? At the beginning of this year when we had Elon Musk prancing around with a chainsaw, now folks were asking me if they were going to be able to keep their benefits. I had a fully paralyzed veteran reach out to me through a mutual friend asking me if he was going to keep his VA benefits. So look, we, we should stay optimistic. Maybe that's the Michigan way. But this has been a tough moment and this has been unnecessary for President to be missing in action during this painful period for the American people. Health care is life for people. This, this is very necessary for us to address the costs and to increase access.

[Joe Matthew]

Your former speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, has announced her intention to retire. Congresswoman, I'm guessing that didn't come as a surprise to you, as it didn't come as a surprise to many. But it, it's starting a conversation about not only the legacy of Nancy Pelosi, but the stylings of Hakeem Jeffries. And I'm wondering if you see a different approach in your Democratic leader now in the House and how that might help to bring this shutdown to a close.

[Congresswoman Haley Stevens]

Well, during my four terms in Congress so far, I will tell you I have been very pleased to work alongside Democratic leadership to bring forward the voice of Michigan's economy, Michigan's manufacturers, our manufacturing workforce. Speaker Pelosi will certainly remember me writing her a letter a week encouraging us to pass the Chips and Science Act. I'd send her messages along those lines because I knew how important these addressing the supply chain disruptions for our manufacturing economy in Michigan were. And to see that get done was, was a thing of beauty. And it's the same type of relationship that I maintain with our current Democratic leadership that I bring the voice and the need of Michiganders forward and what is going to strengthen and grow our economy. And I'll tell you right now, that is not something that we are getting from the Trump administration and their erratic shoot by the hip tariffs. We have parts of Michigan that have some of the fastest growing unemployment in the union. I lost 450 jobs in the state of in my district. Just the other that we're manufacturing focused, that we're innovation focused. It's not acceptable. We're losing investment. So we need proven industrial policy and that's what I'm going to work on every chance I can get to deliver for the people of Michigan and our incredible best in class workforce.

[Tyler Kendall]

All right, Congresswoman Haley Stevens, a Democrat representing Michigan's 11th district. Thanks so much for joining us here on Bloomberg Television and radio. And to extend the conversation, we're now going to bring in our political panel today. Lisa Kamoser Miller, senior vice president at ROC Solutions and former RNC spokesperson and Republican strategist, joined alongside Christina Greer, Associate chair, Department of Political Science at Fordham University. Thanks both for being here. Lisa, I want to start with you because that was a pretty striking conversation when it came to the congresswoman appearing to indicate here that maybe a promise of A vote down the line once the government reopens could be enough. But we know that the trust has been broken on really both sides of the aisle. I'm wondering what you're watching for here. When it comes to Republicans promise on a potential vote down the line, is that really going to be enough to push this over the finish line?

[Lisa Kamoser Miller]

You know, it's so hard to say, Taylor. I mean, I think the one thing that I am really confident and glad for is that Senator Thune is at the front of all of this, that he is a fair arbiter, he is a honest broker, he is a good member of the Senate, and he is a leader that his conference will follow. And so if that ends up being the way that this deal gets done, I would absolutely caution to say that it is a, it is a confident way for Democrats to, to enter into the discussion, because I know that the senator himself is a fair and good word as it relates to how the negotiations go down. I also know that many, many other US Senators, I mean, I know Susan Collins, there's a variety of others that are really involved behind the scenes that are really doing everything they can to get the government back track. And these negotiations in a place where both sides can feel like they can save face, because that's really what this is going to come down to. Neither one of these parties are going to walk into this conversation feeling like they're going to have an egg on their face when this is over because neither one of them feels as if they are doing the wrong thing and therefore they're not going to take the loss. They're going to feel as if they have done enough to save face and feel good for their conference and for their, for their state.

[Joe Matthew]

Christina, it's good to have you back. I'm wondering your thoughts on what we just heard, because to Tyler's point, I thought that Haley Stevens tone was striking in that she sounded a bit downbeat, to be honest, for somebody who brings a lot of high energy to conversations that we typically have. And she really had to think there for a moment about the prospect of accepting a vote as opposed to a deal. But I thought the answer was yes. Is the, is this a movement for the Democratic Party in the House?

[Congressman Sam Graves]

Right.

[Bloomberg Announcer]

I mean, I think I'm just confused as to how trust has been broken on both sides of the aisle. I mean, Democrats have been very clear. The reason why they're not going to the table is because they don't want millions upon millions of Americans to lose their health care. That's something that Republicans have been very clear that they want Obamacare done. They have not presented Democrats with a strategy. Some people in the Republican caucus have said they don't have a strategy, therefore Democrats are holding out. So this kind of both sidesism I'm still very much at a loss for. I think the real issue is how do we make a deal where the president feels as though he can save face and that he can say that he's won and so without harming more and more millions of Americans on both sides of the aisle in all 50 states, whether they're in Republican districts or not. I mean, the president has been very clear. He does not like certain states because they're led by Democrats. He will punish certain states and cities because they're led by Democrats. So the quandary is how do you make a deal with good faith Republicans, of which there are still quite a few, but they understand that the president does not want them to negotiate and to make deals. So how do we balance that conundrum?

[Tyler Kendall]

And Lisa, also, I want to talk about some of the pressing deadlines that are coming up. Of course, it now appears that November 21st isn't going to be viable when it comes to the future of a stopgap measure. So what is viable? Can we pull on some of your expertise here? How much time do lawmakers actually need to hammer out a fuller spending deal? When we really get back to the root of what this government shutdown is about in terms of funding the actual.

[Lisa Kamoser Miller]

Government, I have no idea how they're going to get it done. They're going to have to perform some magic behind the scenes. The deadline is looming. It's a minute away. You guys know this, right? November 21st is so close. There is no way. There will have to be some sort of negotiation on that timeline. They will have to figure all of that out. Where there are smarter people on Capitol Hill that absolutely are staying up at night trying to figure out how that's going to happen. But I think more than anything, the point that you're trying to get me to make is that there is a lot to be done. They absolutely have got to get it right. And if they don't get it right now in this negotiation, we go right back to the same argument because the government again could shut down on the 21st. So this has got to be addressed in this negotiation now.

[Joe Matthew]

Yeah, we're going to need a bigger CR and Tyler will always make you get to that point. Lisa. Great insights from both Lisa and Christine. Christina Greer, It's Great to have both of you with us on our panel. Senator Jerry Moran is coming in next only on Bloomberg. Stay with us on Balance of Power. We'll have much more coming up after this.

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[Bloomberg Announcer]

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[Joe Matthew]

Keeping tabs on a couple of things here, including shares of the pharmaceutical makers with an event that is set to resume shortly in the Oval Office and we'll bring you there when it does. The President announcing what he refers to as drastically lower prices in a deal with Eli Lilly and Novo nordisk over their GLP1 drugs course. We're talking with Govi, Ozempic, Zeppelin with Journal and these are market movers. It's dragging shares of Novo and Lilly is hanging in there a bit higher this morning as we review the list of airports set to feel capacity cuts as early as tomorrow. Tyler the FAA of course is going to be cutting 10% capacity, they say at 40 airports across the country. But it could be a rolling impact. It might not all be tomorrow, but in the days ahead we're going to start to see this. Of course it's because of the government shutdown and air traffic controllers who simply can't work without pay any longer. We're not fooling around here. Atlanta, Dallas, New York City, Los Angeles, all three airports in the Washington D.C. area, Chicago, San Francisco, And I could keep going.

[Tyler Kendall]

Right, exactly. Importantly, this isn't going to impact those international routes, but it is going to impact domestic routes. I saw one analyst that pointed to the fact that this could cause the cancellation of nearly 1800 flights nationwide. And there's also questions here about what this is going to look like even when the government does reopen. Joe, because of course we know that this country has been dealing with a shortage in air traffic controllers at this point for years. And that's really harped on our air traffic system.

[Joe Matthew]

That is a great point. It was before the shutdown happened that we were already feeling a crunch at the airport. How many flights have you had delayed just over the last year or two here with a shortage of air traffic controllers just forcing many who work to put in 60 hour work weeks. And now we're of course asking, asking them to work without pay. It's a great opportunity to spend some time with Senator Jerry Moran. He's very close to this as not only Senator from Kansas, but on the Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation, Space and Innovation where he is, in fact, chairman. And the Senator is with us now live from Capitol Hill. Senator Moran, thanks for being with us here. I wonder if this is a measure to ensure safety or an attempt to end the shutdown by bringing more pressure to the air traffic control system.

[Senator Jerry Moran]

Well, I certainly support the decision. Safety has to come first. We know from the experience we had in January, January 29th of a flight from Wichita, Kansas to DCA here in the nation's capital and the consequences of anything going wrong involving air traffic control and other safety features. Safety features. We need to make certain that we don't take the risk, unnecessary risk. This shutdown is going to have lots of consequences. And this is one that's really highlighting that there are functions of government that are important. And it's also a message, as you say, that the shutdown is causing damage. And I hope that when this program is over, I can walk away. And we'll learn that as the Democrats are meeting over their lunch today and discussing what next steps to take, that between the Republicans and Democrats, the shutdown could come to an end as quickly as possible. But in the meantime, a lot of damage is being done to the ease of travel and lots of other factors for the American people. A difficult thing, but I'm certainly on the side of take as few risks, take no risk at all.

[Joe Matthew]

Yeah.

[Tyler Kendall]

I do want to take a beat and just point it out.

[Senator Jerry Moran]

Tyler, you pointed out about the importance of what happens next and we've been trying to increase the number of air traffic control training opportunities. We've been trying to add to the workforce supply of air traffic control. And this shutdown is even for the air traffic controllers that are at work. It's a terrible circumstance. It's already a hugely stressful job. And then if you're a person who's thinking about, well, maybe I want to have a career as an air traffic controller, look at what the circumstances is for that job today and you might decide this is not how you want to spend your life. The uncertainty of a paycheck and the difficulty and stress. We're trying to train more air traffic controllers. There's just not enough capacity.

[Tyler Kendall]

Right. I'm glad you brought that up, Senator, because we do like to talk about longer term impacts, particularly related to the workforce. But since you did bring up the shutdown, this all has to do with the shutdown. You're sounding perhaps, perhaps cautiously optimistic. I'm wondering what the prospects are that we could see the government reopen this week. Are we looking at a deal next week? What's the timeline that you're putting on this?

[Senator Jerry Moran]

Well, I'm always an optimist. I was so optimistic, in fact, I assumed that this shutdown would be a day or two over a weekend. And I was 30 plus days wrong with that optimism. And it doesn't seem to me at the moment. I've been talking to my colleagues in office, the hallways and conversations by phone and like, what's the latest? What's going on? I've been part of the conversations with Democrat senators to try to bring us together. There's a belief that there's, you know, enough Democratic senators who want to bring the shutdown to an end that a deal could be struck. But I think they are being certainly pressured by their colleagues that don't want this to end without what they would call a Democratic victory, that there's a lot of uncertainty as to whether that deal will come together. I'm hoping there was some expectation it would be this weekend. And the Senate is planning on being in session in case that's the, the outcome. But I think all eyes and ears are on the Democratic caucus about what their next steps might be. And I hope that there is a position that comes from that is let's open up government in the difficulties, the immediate difficulties that we're going to experience, repair the longer term damage, working together and then take up other issues that both Republicans and Democrats are interested in dealing with.

[Joe Matthew]

Senator, I just want to warn everyone here that the president is getting back to it in the Oval Office. And we'll rejoin that event over GLP1 drug prices shortly here. We spoke earlier this hour, Senator, with a Democratic member of the House. Haley Stevens, of course, is running to be a member of your chamber. We heard a strikingly different tone, or at least approach when we asked her about this idea of opening the government based on the promise of a vote on extending Obamacare subsidies as opposed to opening the government with a deal to extend Obamacare subsidies. Are your Democratic colleagues starting to move on that line?

[Senator Jerry Moran]

I think there is still a sufficient number of Democratic colleagues who are interested in working together. There's enough level of trust between the Republican senators and the Democratic senators who are talking about a deal that they would put some faith in a commitment to deal with issues into the future. But that probably is not the dominant view. Again, I'm not in that room listening to those conversations, but my best guess is there's a lot of effort to make sure that. My guess is that the Democrats, with the outcome of the election on Tuesday, maybe don't feel like this, this circumstance of a shutdown is damaging them. I just think if whatever the politics are about a shutdown, I've never seen anybody come out well or ahead. I don't think there's a political advantage to being opposed to the shutdown or being, I'm sorry, supporting the shutdown. I've never seen anybody get a pat on the back for the outcome of when things shut down. I've had constituents over the years who have told me, shut her down, it doesn't matter. But it's not too many days later in which they're asking for your help and trying to solve a problem that they've encountered because the government is shut down. So just good government says put this place to work, solve the problems that the shutdown has created and let's find a method by which we can trust each other and work together to solve other problems that we each bring to the United States Senate and to Congress on behalf of our constituents, of the American people.

[Tyler Kendall]

Trust, of course, a huge part of it. You mentioned Tuesday's elections. We did want to point out, of course, we know that a centerpiece of that was affordability. President Trump, as Joe had mentioned, is speaking in the Oval Office. He's now joined by the Eli Lilly CEO David Rex. He's speaking. We're still monitoring these headlines as we got to this news that there was going to be this tariff deal in exchange for more favored pricing when it comes to weight loss drugs. We'll bring you those updates as we get them. But Senator, just to continue here on the shutdown, there was reporting today out of Politico that a potential sweetener coming from Republicans could be rehiring federal workers that were fired in these mass layoffs that we saw now 37 days ago almost. When it comes to the government shutdown, is that something that's being spoken about as a viable option, whether or not that is part of a deal before or part of a promise after the government reopens? Are there any talks that you're hearing about rehiring federal workers back into the workforce?

[Senator Jerry Moran]

Well, I, too, saw that article. It has not been any part of any conversations that I've had or been involved in with Republican and Democratic senators who are trying to put this package together. But I can certainly see that being something that the leadership of the of the Senate would offer, would suggest, would want to be a talking point. Again, we know the circumstances we face. We need a federal workforce in place to do their jobs and we need the help of all federal employees as we try to recover. And again, it's that this is such a, the federal workforce is important and what a, a damning circumstance it is if you're not getting paid. And I think about that with my own staff and young people who are here trying to have a government experience in government and politics. And they're seeing us in a position in which the shutdown is doing real damage and they experience themselves personally. So open up government. Let's work together to solve the country's problems. And in the meantime, let's get air traffic control in the place it needs to be. I mean, major reforms are underway trying to improve the air traffic control system and bring aviation safety to a higher plane, new technologies. And our subcommittee is examining those things. But while the shutdown is taking place, I'm not quite certain that all the focus that should be being made on those issues moving us forward in greater airplane port and airline safety, they certainly, at a minimum, the shutdown is a distraction toward a really important goal that needs to be accomplished quickly.

[Joe Matthew]

Well, we appreciate the conversation, Senator. We've only got about a minute left. Are you going to be able to fly out tonight? What's your own transit challenge in this shutdown?

[Senator Jerry Moran]

Well, I mean, it is a point that many members of Congress, I'm one of them who I never moved to Washington, D.C. i'm on an airplane utilizing the skies every, every week. And I don't mean to make any of this like, personal. There's lots of other people in more difficult circumstances than me. We want everybody to have the opportunity to keep those reservations. One of the airlines we talked to, one of the major airlines told US this is 100,000 passengers who have reservations that will be affected by this 10% reduction in flights. And certainly DCA, where many of us fly, is probably at the forefront of that, that issue.

[Joe Matthew]

All right, Senator, it's great to see you and welcome back Jerry Moran. We'll see if he makes his way back to Kansas. Let us know. You might see John Candy and Steve Martin on the way, the Republican from Kansas with us live on Bloomberg TV and radio. It's day 37 of this shutdown, yet a new record. This is Bloomberg. Stay with us. On balance of power. We'll have much more coming up. Stop after this.

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[Bloomberg Announcer]

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[Joe Matthew]

We welcome, welcome Congressman Sam Graves to our conversation. We've been looking forward to it. The Republican representing Missouri's 6th district and importantly chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The last time we spoke with Chairman Graves, I believe he was on a Runway trying to get somewhere and we ended up on the telephone together. Mr. Chairman, it's great to see you on the eve of the cuts in capacity at the 40 airports that have been identified by the FAA I'm just, just wondering your thoughts on what we're about to witness here and what this is going to mean for safety and for airline customers. We're understanding about 100,000 of them could be impacted.

[Congressman Sam Graves]

Well, as far as safety goes, you know, are the skies safe? Absolutely, they are safe. And air traffic controllers are still doing a great job. They're showing up and they're doing a very, very good job. Are there going to be delays? Absolutely, there's going to be delays. And obviously by cutting back on the number of flights to. To these airports, it's going to. It's going to impact folks. It's going to have an impact on. On the holiday travel season, and it's just not good. We're seeing a little bit, obviously a lot of fatigue or a little bit more fatigue in air traffic controllers. It's a very stressful job to begin with. And now you throw on top, you know, not getting a paycheck, coming around this second time. It's putting a tremendous amount of stress on. On those individuals.

[Bloomberg Announcer]

Mm.

[Tyler Kendall]

Congressman, is this going to be one of those pressure points that ultimately leads to reopening the government? What is the political calculus at this point when we're expecting thousands of flights to be canceled come tomorrow?

[Congressman Sam Graves]

Well, I hope it does end it. And there's a real simple way to do that. If we can just get the Senate to vote on a clean CR and pass it. Obviously, they have voted, what, now? 14, 15 times? And, you know, Senator Schumer continues to refuse to let the government open. We can just get the government open through the cr, then we can negotiate all of these points that he wants to talk about, and we can stop all of this madness that we're seeing and that the public is having to endure.

[Joe Matthew]

Well, Chairman Graves, I know that you are also a pilot yourself, and for folks who are with us right now on Bloomberg TV or on YouTube, I'm looking at the photographs that are hanging behind you in the office. Kind of cut off by the shot, though. It looks like maybe a Piper Cub and a Stearman. I can't quite tell, you can correct me on that, but I'm just wondering if you'd get in an airplane and take off now as a private pilot or what that would mean in the throes of closing airspace.

[Congressman Sam Graves]

It. It's not going to have too much impact on. On ga, on general aviation aircraft. Most of the airports that GA and corporate aircraft fly into are not going to. Going to be impacted unless they're in an area like you know, within the Dallas Fort Worth area or something like that. So it's not going to have a tremendous amount of impact. General aviation.

[Tyler Kendall]

Congressman, is the FAA going to have to incentivize air traffic controllers to come back to work even after the government reopens? We are seeing reports that many have taken other jobs, second jobs, and we know that this has been an issue that's been. Been plaguing the industry, as you alluded to in your first answer at this point, for years in this country. Is there something else that the government can do to ensure that these workers do come back into work even after the shutdown's resolved?

[Congressman Sam Graves]

I think they'll come back. I don't think they're going to leave the profession. Look, these are very professional individuals and they know how important that their job is. And the fact of the matter is they're showing up and doing the work. Even now. The bigger problem is the shortage of air traffic controllers that we had prior to the shutdown. And the good news is, though, is the President and the Secretary have both. They're fully engaged in this. And we've seen for the first time in a very long time, all the seats filled at the academy. They filled all 2,000 openings at the academy. So controllers in the pipeline moving forward, and it's just going to take some time to train them up because we don't want to shortchange or sacrifice any safety whatsoever when it comes to training air traffic controllers. But we've got a lot of good ones coming.

[Joe Matthew]

I know this is so important, Mr. Chairman. We've got a new generation of air traffic controllers. I guess at some point we'll have a pretty, a pretty wide bench. Do they need to be paid more? They're essential workers. Should there be language and legislation that requires them to be paid in a shutdown? We've only got about a minute left.

[Congressman Sam Graves]

Well, the fact of the matter is it should be. And they're the ones that always end up being the pawns in this process. And we see it happen time and time and time again. You know, they are essential workers, and I think they should be paid as essential workers. And. And again, all we got to do is, is stop the shutdown and reopen the government, pass the clean cr and then we can negotiate.

[Joe Matthew]

It's good to have you back, sir. Sam Graves will let you get to the airport. He's the Republican from Missouri, and importantly, Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Thanks for listening to the Balance of Power podcast. Make sure to subscribe if you haven't already at Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. And you can find us live every weekday from Washington D.C. at noontime [e-mail].

[Senator Jerry Moran]

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[Joe Matthew]

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