Travelers could experience longer lines and delays at airports during a government shutdown.
Security officers would be among the federal employees who would be required to continue working without pay.
“This is a stressful job as it is already and if they have to worry about not receiving paychecks that adds another layer of stress and takes the focus off of what they are supposed to be doing," said Mike Gayzagian, president of the local TSA officers union AFGE 2617, which represents about 1500 officers across New England.
“My biggest fear is that we have a lot of new officers and I think that what they are going to start to think is, ‘Is this the job for me?’ Am I working for the federal government if this thing is going to happen all the time? Their concern for their families, paying their rents, paying their bills,” said Gayzadian.
Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg, said a shutdown lasting even a few days could impact hiring of air traffic controllers.
“It would mean we would immediately have to stop training new air traffic controllers and furlough another 1,000 controllers who are already in the training pipeline,” said Buttigeig.
The most recent government shutdown in 2018 lasted just over a month and while operations carried on at airports, Gayzagian said it took a toll on the workers.
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“I’m hoping that you all get into a room and make a deal and realize that its not just about politics. It’s about real people, it’s about families,” he said.
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack warned that WIC, the supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children, would come to a halt during a shutdown but some states may have left over WIC funds that could extend the program for about a week. SNAP benefits would continue for the month of October.
“Right now in Massachusetts, our research is showing that one in three people faced food insecurity at some point in the last year. So we're already in a crisis. now, if we see disruption to these federal nutrition benefits through a government shutdown, we know we will see increased demand at our network of food assistance providers,” said Kate Adams, Public Policy Manager for the Greater Boston Food Bank.
“We know that this will have rippling impacts throughout our communities, if we see a shutdown and disruption of federal nutrition benefits, so we're certainly urging to avoid a shutdown, but also to strengthen these federal programs in the Farm Bill,” said Adams.
