Majority leader Sen. Mitch McConnell and Minority leader Chuck Schumer spoke on the Senate floor ahead of a vote on the most recent proposals to end the government shutdown. USA TODAY
Unions representing air-traffic controllers, airline pilots and flight attendants issued a joint statement Wednesday warning of “serious safety concerns” in the air travel industry if the partial government shutdown continues.
The shutdown has forced air-traffic controllers, air marshals, Transportation Security Administration officers, FBI agents and other safety staff to work without pay, the statement says.
“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,” reads the statement issued by the presidents of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, Air Line Pilots Association and the Association of Flight Attendants.
View the complete January 23 article by Joel Shannon on The USA Today website here.