As the government shutdown drags toward the four-week mark, hundreds of thousands of
federal workers are set to miss their first full paycheck, while the U.S. Senate concluded
their session on Thursday without approving a spending plan.
There seems to be no end in sight, as the Senate left town on Thursday without a deal. Their
next vote is expected on Monday, but the impasse remains logjammed over the same
issues.
Among the affected workers are those who keep security lines in airports moving and air
traffic safe–the TSA workers in airports and air-traffic controllers. Those workers last
received a paycheck in mid-October, and those checks were missing up to two days’ pay.
National Air Traffic Controllers Association President Nick Daniels said on Monday that
controllers are going to get a pay stub on Thursday that shows no pay for next week, and
many will face very hard choices.
Whether dipping into savings, racking up credit card debt, or taking on part-time
employment, workers in these circumstances are facing substantial challenges.
None were more obvious than Jack Criss, an air traffic controller who has come to
prominence while, during a NewsNation Town Hall telecast last week, he offered a
question to a group of NewsNation broadcasters and a trio of lawmakers from the U.S.
House of Representatives. He revealed that he has taken to doing DoorDash gig work to
provide for his family while remaining unpaid in his duties as an air traffic controller.
The moment went viral and underscores what hundreds of thousands of federal workers
are likely going through.
While many go through the challenges of taking on additional work responsibilities or
taking short-term high-risk loans to help with cash flow, some air travel locales are finding
ways for people to help.
The authority that operates the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport plans to set up a
shelf to provide nonperishable food items to federal employees as it did during the 2018-19
government shutdown, according to spokesperson John Welbes. If the shutdown stretches
into November, the authority is considering offering boxed lunches.
During the 35-day shutdown of 2019, the number of absences by TSA workers and air traffic
controllers rose as workers missed paychecks. Passenger waiting times at airport check
points increased, while authorities were forced to slow air traffic in New York.
On Day 31 of that shutdown, 10% of TSA workers called in sick, three times the normal
absence rate.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Transportation shared information on how to make
donations of food, clothing and other items to the more than 50,000 TSA officers across the
country, who earn an average of $40,000 per year. Donations of donuts, pizza and coffee
are fine, but not cash. And there should be no donations at checkpoints.
With Republicans holding a majority in both chambers of Congress, seven Democratic
votes are needed to pass a funding bill in the Senate. Democrats want the bill to include an
extension of expiring tax credits that make insurance purchased through the Affordable
Care Act marketplace more affordable and a reversal of President Trump’s cuts to
Medicade.
The Republicans want to negotiate the insurance subsidies separately and pass what they
call a “clean resolution”. Without extension, the health care subsidies are set to expire
December 31.
“I’m more than just disappointed that there’s no true negotiations going on,” said another
TSA officer in Dayton, Ohio, adding that he does not understand why Congress is playing
“political chess” with his paycheck.
