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Government shutdown impacts on air travel
As the government shutdown enters day 24, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said air traffic controllers who are obligated to work without pay are getting angry. While insisting the national airspace is safe, he acknowledged that recent flight delays and cancellations are largely because of staffing issues. About 13,000 air traffic controllers are currently working without pay.
For many federal workers, Friday was supposed to be payday.
Instead, they are receiving nothing, with no sign of when their paychecks might resume, as the waves rippling from the federal government shutdown continue to grow.
Employees at several federal agencies going without pay
By the numbers:
According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, about 1.4 million civilian federal employees across the country are going without pay. Roughly half of them are furloughed. The other half has been deemed essential and so is continuing to work.
Civilian employees at the Department of Defense, Health and Human Services, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Executive Office of the President, and a few other agencies experienced their first fully missed paycheck on October 24.
The remainder of federal agencies will miss their first paycheck on October 28 or 30, depending on the agency and payroll processing system.
FILE: TSA employees and air traffic controllers are still showing up for duty despite not being paid.(Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
If the shutdown lasts until December 1, nearly 4.5 million paychecks will be withheld from civilian employees of federal agencies, according to the center.
Meanwhile, active-duty military and some federal agencies are still getting paid as usual during the shutdown.
Active-duty military personnel got their paychecks on schedule last week, after the Defense Department dipped into its funds to find the money.
More than 70,000 sworn law enforcement officers across the Department of Homeland Security, including those serving in CBP, ICE, Secret Service, Air Marshals and other critical mission areas will be paid for all hours worked during the shutdown period, according to Kristi Noem, the secretary of DHS.
Missed paychecks cause financial strain
Dig deeper:
For many people in both groups, the lapse in congressional appropriations has brought on new financial strain in a year that has already been tough.
Benefits for low income families are already being paused amid a lapse in funding. Meanwhile, many federal workers earn less than $90,000 a year (43%), according to an analysis published earlier this year citing March 2024 government data by the Pew Research Center.
FOX 2 Detroit spoke to Nico Ybarra, who works in the federal government and just purchased a home in Detroit. He's been prioritizing the monumental task of upkeep of his home, now that he doesn't have a reliable source of money.
RELATED: Federal workers going without paychecks feel strain of government shutdown
"It just kind of stinks, right? A lot of projects you get all excited for to do for your home – I know I have to be really thoughtful (about) which of those are priority in which of those are gonna have to wait for now," he said.
There's also Zedrick Brown, who said the fear of the unknown is at the top of his mind.
"There’s just a lot of uncertainty because nothing is going like it has in the past – established rules and procedures that aren’t being followed. Every day something new comes in to track what’s happening now," he said.
The government shutdown continues
Big picture view:
The federal government shutdown is stretching into its third week amid a stalemate between Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Senate.
The most recent failed vote took place Thursday night, making it the second-longest funding lapse in U.S. history. Because the chamber adjourned after the vote, the next time lawmakers will be back in Washington D.C. won't be until early next week.
Among the most pressing issues is paying military members and other government contractors. Legislation that would help pay federal employees amid the shutdown has also failed to pass the chamber.
The Source: The information for this story was provided by Bipartisan Policy Center. The Associated Press, NPR, Axios, FOX 2 Detroit contributed. This story was reported from Los Angeles.