Federal Employees Missed Paychecks

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Day, buddy, good to be with you.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
Let's talk about this shutdown. I got my eyes on
a lot of things. As far as this vacation, I
got some time. It's the middle of December. I've already
booked the trip. I do have trip insurance. I'm supposed
to go to the Grill, Jamaica. A couple of things
that I've got on my mind. Obviously, I'm paying very
close attention to this hurricane for many different reasons. But

(00:25):
also are am I going to have an airport problem
even if I go somewhere else? Like if I go
to the airport, what's going to happen if the government
is still somehow shut down or backed up somehow. What
are we noticing with our airlines as we move into
now what will be a fifth week of this government shutdown?

Speaker 1 (00:45):
Well, you know, I mean, and as of right now,
there are fifteen hundred and eighty delayed across the across
the US or within into or out of the US.
And you know, mostly it's it's the usual suspects. It's
df W, it's it's uh, you know, it's JFK, it's

(01:08):
it's Chicago, O'Hare, Miami, one of the biggest biggest airports
showing the most delays. But it's a lot, and it
wouldn't be happening without the government shutdown. Where you've got
these federal air traffic controllers and others, even TSA agents
aren't getting paid, uh, deciding to skip work because well

(01:29):
might might might might be having to to grab a
second job or a different job, because you know, just
because your your paychecks have stopped, doesn't mean that the
bills don't stop. And and that was acknowledged by Transportation
Secretary Sean Duffy, who just a short time ago said
that we're getting to a point of Democrat extremism. Those

(01:51):
are his words, blaming Democrats for this. We're not U
signing off and and and essentially already no the twelve
times that the Republican controlled Senate has taken up the
Seeur since the government shut down. But it's day twenty
eighth of a shutdown, and more air traffic controllers than
federal workers, even even travelers are are they're feeling the strain.

Speaker 2 (02:17):
I wonder, Jeff, when we talk about the longevity. This
is I think the second large, longest shutdown we've had
so far. The first one ended after thirty five days.
And I think air like air travel was a big
factor here. This is the kind of thing that for
congressional people, they do get on a lot of planes,

(02:39):
they do travel quite a bit to and from where
they actually live, where their district is, but also for
meetings and for big you know, hubbubs and events that
they want to be seen at. Is this the kind
of thing that could kind of force them to come
to the table and maybe not cave, but maybe be

(02:59):
willing to negotiate a little bit more now that this
is actually affecting their lives and the lives of their
constituents a lot more directly.

Speaker 1 (03:09):
Well, we've heard from Democrats and they say, look, this
is a leverage point, and they feel like they've got
the upper hand. Republicans don't feel that at all. In fact,
Senator Roger Marshall out of Kansas Republican telling you Took's
Digital that there are three or four fast approaching pressure
points for Democrats, including the payday for air air traffic controllers.

(03:31):
That's today, by the way, their first checks that show
is zero. That's happened today. That could shake loosely that
it should, that could shake loose deeply entrenched Democrats. He said,
it wouldn't wouldn't be something inside the laws of Congress
that's going to force negotiation. It's going to be something extraneous, uh,

(03:53):
and that that forces them to come together, but that
the air traffic control situation has the most potential to
light up Congress or to light up Capitol Hill to
get something done. And there's also that train of thought that, look,
you know, Democrats don't want to do anything until after
next week's elections, called pivotal elections that were that were watching.

(04:17):
They don't want to upset the base. Whether that's true
or not, that's what Republicans say. And so maybe by
next week, which I think would be you said thirty
five days, I guess that would then might put us
well into to making this the longest ever government shut
down before Democrats, you know, at least a couple of them,

(04:38):
to say, Okay, we're done, we're going to we're going
to move forward. We're going to get people paid, we're
going to get the people their food benefits and others.
But look, I mean, we'll see. No one really knows.

Speaker 2 (04:48):
Jeff, and Aso is joining us on the phone line today. Jeff,
I think The next logical step I suppose if you're
a government worker, is who even wants to work in
these conditions? Is the first thing I would say? It
is like, do I really want every single year to
have to sweat September thirty? If this whether or not
these cronies in North in Washington, d C. Can actually
get a deal done. But also this is the kind

(05:10):
of line of work and how important the jobs are
that we're talking about, and as you mentioned, we're talking
about paychecks being zero, but we also have the snap
benefits you know, set to basically expire by the end
of the week if they can't come to a deal,
and how many people could be affected by that. What
do you think will be from your you know, educated opinion,

(05:34):
what do you think will be the first sign that
maybe we are going to have discussions and actually maybe
get a chance to vote. Will it be something along
the lines of these unions that have stepped up and said, look,
the Democrats really need to get back to the table
here because it's them that's holding this up. Or will
it actually end up being people from Republican states saying, look,

(05:55):
we really have to bridge the gap here because people
in our states are going without food because we don't
have enough funding for snap benefits.

Speaker 1 (06:04):
You know, it's look, you know, pundits, I'm not a pundit.
Pundits will give you their their opinions, and I can
just tell you that, uh. You know, Republicans have said
they're not going to cave, They're not going to give in.
Rather than Trump said that we're not going to give
in on Democrats spending demands on a clear and a
clean continuing resolution just to keep the government open. Democrats

(06:29):
saying again that this is their leverage point to get
some of those those spending demands you know included not
likely to happen. But when you've got, as you mentioned now,
unions coming forward, powerful unions that that that that that
look the Democrats, Democrats led supported unions saying get back

(06:53):
uh to you know, get back to Capitol Hill and
and and get the government back open. That is pressure.
But you know, it's it's what Chuck Schumer wants to do.
I mean, he's the leader of the Senate, the minority leader,
and and and I guess follow his lead, but I
guess the unions would give him a little bit of
an off ramp to say Okay, mh. You know, you know,

(07:15):
kind of put it on the unions and or somebody else.
But the bottom line is, you know, for for your
average American at home, whether or not the shutdown effects
you are, not, what you're being, what you're digesting on
a daily basis is the battle over the blame, and
it gets tiring. I think for most Americans, whether you know, again,
whether you're you're you're affected or not. But for those

(07:36):
who are affected, who aren't getting paid, who aren't going
to get their food benefits, and others, you know, I
would expect to see some mounting pressure in the days
to come that might that might you know, wiggle wiggle
loose one or two Democrats that have been kind of
sitting on their hands and saying we're not gonna, We're

(07:58):
not gonna, we're gonna, We're gonna vote no. But I
would expect that that probably would be the likely scenario.

Speaker 2 (08:06):
Yeah, Jeff and Ausio joining us. Last thing for you, Jeff,
and I do appreciate that the reporting, and trust me,
I wish I had something else to talk about a
lot of these days too. But you know the fact
that the developments are that we have no developments is
pretty stark, and the fact that we're already four weeks
into this thing is pretty fascinating in a lot of
different ways. Is there going to be a change in attitude?

(08:31):
I guess because I know the bill as it sits
is essentially just to move the deadline to November the
twenty first, and I just don't know how much that
is actually going to solve anything, and whether or not
that's even worth bringing everybody back to the table just
to not know if we're actually going to be funded
beyond that because we can't agree on healthcare or whatever.

(08:54):
But I also start to wonder. We're twelve months away
from the midterm elections for next year, and I know
that we have pretty relatively short memories about stuff that happens.
It's really like, Uh, what's the latest thing that people
are talking about in the news, and that's what's going
to be talked about in the big debates and what
people are going to vote on. But is this something
from your experience as a reporter that people could theoretically

(09:17):
hang on to and hold against this particular group of
people who are in Congress right now?

Speaker 1 (09:24):
Well, what's what's the same news from a movie. When
you're playing with my money, you're playing with my emotion.
Oh yeah, you know, it's it's it is. It is
very real for a lot of people right now, they're
struggling and trying to figure this one out, desperate to
to Jamaicans me, to figure out what they're going to do.

Speaker 2 (09:41):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (09:41):
I think they'll probably remember this one, particularly if it gets,
you know, worse. But for President Trump, his polling members
seemed to be going up and and you know what,
again not a pundent, but you know what that mays
indicated that that people aren't buying the story that you know,
you can't just pass this R and battle it out
over your differences over spending issues at a later date.

(10:03):
But yeah, I don't you know, come come the next deadline.
I don't see Republicans, you know, turning over what they
passed on the big beautiful bill. I'd to say, yeah,
let's let's uh, let's let's fund some of these programs
for illegal immigrants and and others. I don't see that
happening ever at all under this president, or that he'd
even signed something like that. So perhaps there's some negotiating

(10:26):
techniques that that they're discussing. They're not you know, we're
not privy to you at this point, but but you know,
what we know is is that you know, more, more
and more flights are being canceled today. Let me see
the latest numbers. Yeah, it's it's up almost thirteen hundred
since you and I started talking just a few moments ago.

Speaker 2 (10:50):
Yeah, that's not good. And that is certainly going to
affect the livelihood of the people in DC and their
constituents a lot more directly than maybe some of this
other stuff would. But Jeff beIN also with the recept
the wigh on it. Great information as always, Jeff, really
do appreciate the time today.

Speaker 1 (11:04):
Thanks Henry.