The political standoff in Washington could spell trouble for Thanksgiving travelers across the nation.

House Republican leaders sounded the alarm on Tuesday, warning that if the partial government shutdown drags on, it could wreak havoc on Thanksgiving travel plans. The shutdown, which has been in effect since October 1st, threatens to disrupt the busiest travel season of the year.

“Expect cancellations and delays at airports, impacting countless travelers,” cautioned House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) during a press briefing on the potential fallout from the continued shutdown.

As the shutdown lingers, air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees remain unpaid but are still required to work, as they are classified as essential personnel.

However, there are signs of strain, with reports indicating that numerous workers have been calling in sick, further exacerbating the potential for travel chaos.

Thanksgiving and Christmas tend to be the busiest travel seasons of the year.

Under the Trump administration’s shutdown plan, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) furloughed about a quarter of its workforce — over 11,000 employees. Air traffic controller hiring is still ongoing despite the lack of pay.

Republicans had attempted to prevent a government shutdown by passing a stopgap continuing resolution (CR) to keep the lights on through Nov. 21.

By that point, they hoped to pass the required 12 appropriations bills to fully fund the government for the fiscal year, something it’s required to do annually by Oct. 1 or else there will be a partial shutdown.

While the CR passed the House and has had up to 55 votes in the Senate, Democrats have refused to relent on the filibuster blocking it, which requires a 60-vote threshold to overcome. They’ve demanded an array of concessions on healthcare policy instead.

“As TSA agents and air traffic controllers show up without pay, Democrats brag they won’t budge until planes fall out of the sky,” GOP Conference Chairwoman Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) vented at the press conference.

“Really? Really? Seriously?”

That’s a reference to a CNN story that quoted an anonymous Democratic aide who said the party won’t relent until their demands are met, unless “planes falling out of the sky.”

Amid the shutdown, airports like Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International and Hollywood Burbank have faced shortages, snarling travel.

Just under 60,000 flights in the US were delayed on Sunday, according to FlightAware.

Active duty military personnel are set to miss their first paycheck on Wednesday, though President Trump has vowed to move money around to mitigate that.

Already, the current shutdown is the fourth-longest in US history. The longest spanned 35 days between December 2018 and January 2019.

That shutdown began days before Christmas and lasted several weeks after New Year’s Day. Federal inspectors had warned at the time that the partial shutdown likely impacted safety.