At Hearing on The Impact of the Shutdown in the Aviation Industry Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García Highlights the Plight of TSA Agents
Washington, DC- During the Trump Shutdown, between 30 and 40 percent of FAA employees were furloughed, challenging the agency's ability to fulfill its critical mission. Today the Subcommittee on Aviation of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure held a hearing on "Putting U.S. Aviation at Risk: The Impact of the Shutdown". Congressman Jesús "Chuy" García, a Member of the Subcommittee made the following statement:
Click here to watch the full remarks.
"Shortly after the longest shutdown in U.S. history, we find ourselves, on the cusp of yet another potential government shutdown. For this reason, I am proud to join Chairman DeFazio and Subcommittee Chairman Larsen in cosponsoring the Aviation Funding Stability Act of 2019. This bill would ensure that all FAA programs, projects, and activities would continue, uninterrupted, during a future government shutdown.
"While we talk about the effects of shutdowns, I want to make sure we keep at the fore, the human impact shutdowns have on real, hard-working people. This morning, I met a TSA agent working at O'Hare airport, one of the busiest in the country. Christine worked hard to own her manufactured or mobile home in Chicago where she and her 23-year-old son live. During the last shutdown, Christine, had to pull out the $200 she had in savings just to buy food and gas. At one point, Christine called out because she didn't have enough money to make her 22-mile commute to work. On January 10th Christine was served a 5-day notice of eviction.
"In a recent interview she recounted the internal dialogue she had during the shutdown:
"How long can we last. I've got a $15 gift card and its 2 degrees out this morning. What the heck am I going to do?"
"I'm worried about my car and I'm worried about losing my home."
"Even if the government is reopened, this has hurt us tremendously. We missed paychecks, and there will be late fees. "
"Who would work at a job for one month and not get a paycheck?"
"Mr. Chairman, I also listened to stories of air traffic controllers who were on the brink of resigning because they were being forced to make the decision on whether to come to work or find another job to pay the bills. In fact, amidst the shutdown, I joined my Illinois delegation colleagues at O'Hare to hear directly from workers about the problems they faced.
"There are over 600 air traffic controllers and other aviation professionals who live and work throughout northern Illinois, including my district. One controller whose wife had been diagnosed with a heart condition while their first child was in the middle of medical tests fell into quite deep hardship. You see, dealing with medical conditions is more difficult at the beginning of the year because working families have not yet met their insurance deductibles and have a larger out-of-pocket responsibility. In St. Louis, there were reports of a young air traffic controller selling his plasma just to make his monthly payments.
"These are simply devastating stories of real individuals suffering from the political gamesmanship that threatens shutdown after shutdown. This brinkmanship has the effect of reducing Federal employees, contractors and their families to mere political bargaining chips.
"During the shutdown, Chicago Center was in the middle of implementing new equipment which will enhance communication abilities with pilots. This equipment is commonly known as DataComm. Once the shutdown started, training and implementation stopped. NATCA estimates that $1.65 million spent on training was lost and will need to be re-accomplished next fall or later. Not only did new equipment training come to a halt but on-the-job training was ground to a stand-still as well."
H.R. 1108, the "Aviation Funding Stability Act of 2019," will protect FAA programs and personnel and the U.S. aviation industry from future shutdowns of the Federal Government. It authorizes the FAA to continue to draw from its Airport and Airway Trust Fund (AATF) during a lapse, with no General Fund contributions. In addition, it allows the entire agency to operate at current funding levels, with no Congressional action required.
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