HANOVER, Md. 鈥� U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin said Monday that the partial government shutdown is 鈥渄angerous鈥� and hurting federal workers.
Standing at BWI Marshall Airport with representatives from unions who do everything from inspecting aircraft to performing security checks, the Maryland Democrat said 鈥渢he mission that the people behind me carry out to make sure that we keep air traffic as safe as possible is being compromised by this partial shutdown.鈥�
The shutdown,聽Cardin said, is not only affecting federal workers but also hurting the economy. 鈥淲hen [workers] don鈥檛 get a paycheck, they don鈥檛 spend money,鈥� he told reporters at a morning news conference.
“That hurts businesses in our communities; it hurts our economy.”
Also on hand was Mike Perrone, the president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO, which represents 11,000 federal employees, including aviation safety inspectors. He said his members work on and inspect equipment that can carry 100,000 volts.
鈥淭hey have to keep their head in the game at all times,鈥� said Perrone, adding that working without pay and not knowing when the shutdown will end makes that a challenge.
Perrone also explained that other workers are out on furlough. 鈥淭his is a compromise to a layer of safety,鈥� he told reporters. While airline industry workers are performing safety checks, he said, 鈥渙ur regulatory side of the FAA is not there to oversee them.鈥�
The U.S. air traffic system is still the safest in the world, Perrone said, but he added that 鈥渢hat erodes day after day鈥� as workers worry about making rent or mortgage payments.
David Gillen, a union representative for PASS, had a simple message for the public: 鈥淲e want to go back to work. We want to make sure that we have the ability to protect the flying public.鈥�
Lamar Cobb, a lead security officer with TSA, explained how colleagues have shared their concerns about making ends meet: 鈥淎 lot of people call me and confide in me, and say, 鈥楬ey, I don鈥檛 know how I鈥檓 going to make it to work 鈥� I don鈥檛 have no more gas. I have to choose between food and gas.鈥欌��
Dimeka Thornton, like Cobb, works for TSA. 鈥淭here鈥檚 people that haven鈥檛 been able to make car payments, can鈥檛 make mortgage payments.” Thornton said 鈥� “it鈥檚 a difficult time.鈥�
Cardin told reporters he was pleased that Congress was able to pass legislation that will guarantee that federal workers will get back pay once the shutdown ends and they can go back to work.
But he added: 鈥淭his shutdown needs to end now.鈥�
