All departing flights at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport were put on pause on Friday while officials investigated reports of a strong gas smell and a fire alarm.

Staffing shortages are contributing to ground delays, longer wait times and travel modifications at airports across the country due to the government shutdown. Passengers expecting speedy layovers and smooth transitions in some major cities have been jolted by unexpected delays or cancellations.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune may have thrown a stick of dynamite in any potential path forward to end the government shutdown when he admitted President Donald Trump wants to overhaul Obamacare.

“It’s a small fraction of people who don’t come to work that can create this massive disruption, and that’s what you’re seeing rippling through our skies today,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy s...