An air traffic controller told lawmakers at a NewsNation town hall on Wednesday that he’s been forced to moonlight as a food delivery driver to provide for his child amid the government shutdown, which is now in its third week.
The man identified himself as Jack Chris from Dallas, Texas, and said he's been working for the Federal Aviation Administration for 16 years.
"I've also been through the Obama shutdown and also the Trump shutdown," Chris said the panel of lawmakers on a special episode of "Cuomo," which included Reps. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.), Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and former Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.).
"And my question is, under the current political climate, do you think that this shutdown could actually be longer than the previous shutdowns due to the external pressures, political pressures that we're having effect right now?" he asked the group.
He added, “Because I am actually driving DoorDash when I get off work just to kind of make sure I can pay for my daughter's tuition.”
Khanna was the first to respond, sharing sympathy with the air traffic controller, whose situation mirrors the struggles of thousands of federal workers who are working without pay, while other have been furloughed or laid off.
"Thank you for being here. Thank you for making clear this is not a game," Khanna said.
"I was talking to the mom of someone who served in the Army and she didn't know, until the president figured out how to jigger the funds, whether she was going to be able to pay for her kids groceries," the California lawmaker added.
President Trump over the weekend directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to use existing funds within the Pentagon to ensure that troops get paid.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has said he understands the pressure air traffic controllers are facing, but has still urged them to show up for work. He blamed those who are skipping work for “massive disruptions” and threatened to fire "problem children."
“We need more controllers, but we need the best and the brightest, the dedicated controllers, and if we have some on our staff that aren’t dedicated like we need, we’re going to let them go,” he said on Fox Business.
However, a pilot association said forcing air traffic controllers to work without pay jeopardizes the security of flights.
“The job of keeping aviation safe and secure is tough on an easy day, but forcing them to do it without pay undermines the safety and security of our entire system,” Capt. Jason Ambrosi of the Air Line Pilots Association.
“We are at a critical moment in aviation safety, and we need our leaders to be focused on the necessary infrastructure and staffing improvements,” he added.
There have been shortages of air traffic controllers at Hollywood Burbank Airport in California, Denver International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey which have caused delays amid the federal shutdown.
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