Federal Workers Say Safety Is On The Line As Shutdown Continues
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FT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - Some South Florida federal workers say the government shutdown should not just be a matter of politics, but also an issue of safety.
For more than a month, workers at various levels at the airports say they have gone to work with no pay or have not been able to work at all.
"FAA safety inspectors, we are that added layer of safety between the airline and the flying public, and we've been stripped out," said Robert Guevara.
Guevara said since the shutdown, they have not been able to do final inspections of the pilot or airline or do maintenance checks because the FAA has sent them home.
Bill Kisseado is the Miami Tower President of the National Air Traffic Controller Association.
"The job that we do as air traffic controllers requires us to be 100 percent right 100 percent of the time," he said. "Fatigue is setting in."
The various departments that help get planes off the ground say they are feeling the strain of the shutdown, which is in day 32 as of Tuesday.
"They're coming to work and they're doing the best of their abilities to make sure our planes are safe," says TSA worker Linda Jones.
"We took an oath," she added.
However, she admits she is distracted with thoughts like how she is going to pay for her child's medication with a payday still not in sight.
Representatives Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Ted Deutch, both Democrats, met with these concerned workers in Plantation on Tuesday to discuss the shutdown.
"Playing with peoples lives by proposing a temporary extension to the immigration program in exchange for a permanent, unnecessary, and unpopular border wall demonstrates he cares more about getting his way than getting to a real solution," says Rep. Wasserman Schultz referring to President Donald Trump.
They say they believe funds intended for the wall could be better utilized with advanced technology.
The two pointed to the President and other Republicans, blaming them for not looking at their proposals and keeping the government at a standstill.
"I hope they have the opportunity to talk to people whose lives have been turned upside down," says Rep. Deutch.
Wasserman Schultz and Deutch were home for the holiday weekend and returned to Washington Tuesday.
