A disruptive passenger’s “fascist state” outburst forced an emergency landing on a flight carrying four congressmen to Washington, D.C., highlighting the escalating tensions surrounding Trump’s successful end to the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
Emergency Landing Disrupts Critical Congressional Vote
An American Airlines flight from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to Washington, D.C., made an emergency stop in Kansas City after an irate female passenger caused a disturbance.
The flight carried Arizona Congressman Greg Stanton, a Democrat, alongside three Republican Freedom Caucus members: Representatives Eli Crane, Andy Biggs, and Paul Gosar. Video footage captured the unidentified woman being escorted off the plane while declaring to fellow passengers that “we live in a fascist state.” The incident delayed the flight by approximately one hour, but all congressmen arrived in time for the critical shutdown vote.
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Freedom Caucus Republicans Support Trump’s Shutdown Resolution
The three Republican congressmen aboard the flight voted to end the government shutdown, supporting Trump’s position against Democrat obstruction. Stanton voted against the funding measure, claiming it “fails to lower health care costs,” and took a partisan swipe at his colleagues, suggesting the Freedom Caucus is “losing its mojo.”
The House ultimately passed the Senate’s funding bill by a vote of 222-209, restarting food assistance programs for over 40 million Americans and reopening paychecks for federal employees. The legislation included increased security funding for congressional members and reinstated the jobs of workers who were laid off during the shutdown.
Bipartisan Coalition Pressures Democrats to End Crisis
Trump praised the broad coalition that pressured Democrats to abandon their shutdown strategy, including the American Federation of Government Employees, Farm Bureau, and Fraternal Order of Police. The president characterized the Democrat tactics as attempted extortion, declaring “we will never give in to extortion” and calling Democrats “extremists” for prolonging the shutdown for purely political reasons.
Despite polling suggesting shared blame, Trump’s successful resolution demonstrates his ability to secure Democrat concessions while maintaining support from conservative lawmakers and key interest groups across the political spectrum.
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