Air traffic controllers, pilots, and flight attendants expressed serious concerns over the incalculable security risk of the Trump Shutdown.
NATCA, ALPA, AFA Statement: “We have a growing concern for the safety and security of our members, our airlines, and the traveling public due to the government shutdown. This is already the longest government shutdown in the history of the United States and there is no end in sight. In our risk averse industry, we cannot even calculate the level of risk currently at play, nor predict the point at which the entire system will break. It is unprecedented.
Former secretaries of Homeland Security, including John Kelly, called on Trump to end his shutdown over national security concerns.
CNN: “Former White House chief of staff John Kelly and the other four former secretaries of homeland security sent President Donald Trump and Congress a letter Wednesday calling for full department funding and an end to the monthlong partial government shutdown. … In their letter Wednesday, the former secretaries cited the historical precedent of Congress prioritizing funding agencies such as the Department of Defense as a matter of national security.”
The Trump Shutdown could delay tax refunds for many Americans.
Politico: “The IRS is facing tax season amid the shutdown with new rules that could complicate filing for millions of Americans — and a potential shortage of workers to handle the returns — raising the possibility of refund delays and angry taxpayers.”
The Trump Shutdown is hurting our nation’s transit systems.
Politico: “The government shutdown is pushing some of the nation’s small, midsize and rural transit systems to an existential crisis, prompting bus agencies to scale back service, prepare for furloughs or even contemplate closing their doors entirely.”
The Trump Shutdown could cause food assistance for millions of people to run out.
Huffington Post: “SNAP, which helps 38 million people and is one of America’s biggest safety net programs, could stop providing benefits if the government shutdown continues.”
The Trump Shutdown could have lasting negative impacts on the economy.
Associated Press: “Yet some independent economists doubt that the rebound would be enough to offset the initial damage. The economy is already bedeviled by slowing global growth, ongoing trade tensions and higher interest rates, which contributed to a plunge in home sales last month.”