As the nation gears up for Thanksgiving 2025, the echoes of the longest U.S. government shutdown in history are still reverberating through American lives, from the halls of federal agencies to the crowded concourses of the country’s busiest airports. For Christine Grassman and her husband Gary, both blind and fiercely competitive members of the Out of Sight Dragons, a dragon boat racing team, the shutdown’s impact was anything but abstract. Their story, and the broader ripple effects across the country, offer a window into the human costs and logistical headaches wrought by political gridlock in Washington.
Christine and Gary had been preparing for a national championship in Florida, their sights set on victory after years of dedication to the sport. Dragon boating, often mistaken for rowing, is a discipline where paddlers face forward—distinct from the backward-facing rowers—and it’s a sport that’s found a special place among people with disabilities. “Paradragons,” as Christine and Gary call themselves, have embraced the camaraderie and challenge of the water, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. But just days before the big race, Christine’s world was upended by a text message from her supervisor at the U.S. Department of Education. The message was blunt: she, along with thousands of others, had received a “reduction in force” notice. In plain terms, she was being laid off.
According to USA TODAY, Christine’s last day was set for December 9, 2025, as part of a sweeping wave of layoffs triggered by the government shutdown. The Trump administration had fired more than 4,000 federal workers that weekend, just ten days into what would become a record-breaking shutdown. For Christine, the news was devastating. “She got her dream job,” said Rachel Gittleman, president of the Education Department’s union. Now, that dream had turned into a nightmare.
The shutdown’s effects rippled far beyond Washington’s corridors of power. Federal law has long required agencies to meet specific hiring goals for people with disabilities, and the federal government employs such individuals at slightly higher rates than the private sector. Claire Stanley, director of advocacy and governmental affairs for the American Council of the Blind, told USA TODAY that Christine was not alone: “All of us were kind of holding our breath.” Many blind or low-vision employees were either laid off or left without pay for weeks, facing uncertainty about their futures.
Christine’s role at the Department of Education was as a program specialist for the Randolph-Sheppard program, a federal initiative designed to give blind entrepreneurs priority in managing food service contracts in government buildings. The program is a lifeline for nearly 1,500 vendors, generating roughly $750 million in fiscal year 2023, according to federal data. Christine’s job was to mediate disputes and ensure these entrepreneurs received the opportunities the law promised. Her own husband had once benefited from the program.
The psychological toll of the layoff was immediate and severe. Christine found herself on a higher dose of anxiety medication, her sleep disrupted by nightmares, and her worries about caring for her aging parents—her mother with Alzheimer’s, her father with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease—pressing in on her from all sides. “Nightmares were making it harder to sleep. Her stomach hurt frequently,” reported USA TODAY. Yet, on October 28, a glimmer of hope appeared when a federal judge in California temporarily paused the firings, including Christine’s. Still, with most agencies closed, she wasn’t back at work, and the uncertainty lingered.
Meanwhile, the shutdown’s impact on the broader public was becoming painfully clear. Large numbers of flights were delayed or canceled, preschool programs shuttered, and millions of Americans relying on federal aid struggled to afford basic necessities. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had imposed unprecedented flight restrictions but, a week before Thanksgiving, lifted them in anticipation of what was forecasted to be the busiest holiday travel week in 15 years. The FAA scheduled more than 360,000 flights between Monday, November 24, and Tuesday, December 2, 2025, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) expected to screen over 17.8 million travelers.
“I think the shutdown at this point is history for air travel. The airlines understand this time of year so well. They know exactly what they need to do,” said Sheldon H. Jacobson, an expert in airport and airline operations, in comments reported by the Associated Press. Yet, he cautioned that travelers should prepare for the usual holiday crush—winter weather, heavy traffic, and crowded airports.
Indeed, AAA projected at least 73 million travelers on the roads, 1.3 million more than the previous year. Weather forecasts warned of flooding rains and severe thunderstorms stretching from Texas to Mississippi, with airports like Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston particularly affected. On November 24, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport saw over 750 delayed flights and about 100 cancellations. The following day, rain was expected across the Pacific Northwest and much of the eastern U.S., threatening disruptions at major hubs like Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. Another winter storm was forecast to develop late Friday into Saturday, just as millions planned their return journeys.
Amid the chaos, federal lawmakers finally reached a resolution. On November 9, Senate Democrats and Republicans struck a deal to end the shutdown, reversing all shutdown-related layoffs and barring further firings until at least January 30, 2026. “We protected them,” Senator Tim Kaine told USA TODAY after voting to reopen the government. Senator John Fetterman, who also has a disability, called the move to rehire affected workers “the right thing” to do. The shutdown officially ended on November 12, and Christine returned to work that day. Still, she told USA TODAY, “I’m relieved. But I’m not happy.”
Her relief was tempered by ongoing uncertainty. Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced on November 18 plans to outsource key programs to other agencies, though Christine’s division was not yet included in the reorganization. Speculation swirled about the future of her office, and agency spokespeople declined to comment on the reversed layoffs. Court documents, however, confirmed that the administration was complying with the judge’s reinstatement order.
As dragon boating season drew to a close in November, Christine and Gary looked forward to resuming their workouts in April, hoping the sport would once again provide solace and strength. “You can get a lot of anger out with a paddle,” Christine quipped. For now, like millions of Americans navigating the busiest travel week in recent memory, they are bracing for whatever challenges the winter—and Washington—might throw their way.
