(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Amidst looming threats of a government shutdown led by Democrats’ refusal to negotiate, the Biden administration has issued a dire warning to the American public: Air travel could be shut down.
The threatening message was delivered by Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, a Democrat, who pointed fingers at House Republicans for the impending weekend deadline of a government shutdown.
Buttigieg, speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, expressed the gravity of the situation if Democrats refuse to negotiate with House Republicans.
“There is no good time for a government shutdown, but this is a particularly bad time for a government shutdown, especially when it comes to transportation,” Buttigieg claimed, according to the New York Times. “The consequences would be disruptive and dangerous.”
One of the concerns raised by Buttigieg is the potential impact on air traffic control and flight delays, which saw a significant drop in workforce because of government-mandated COVID-19 shutdowns. He claimed that a government shutdown would thwart his alleged efforts to address the years-long issue.
The root of the shutdown lies in the ongoing partisan deadlock between President Joe Biden and Senate Democrats against House Republicans’ calls to reduce government spending.
Biden’s refusal to negotiate places the salaries of federal workers in jeopardy, including over 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 TSA officers. These workers, as reported by the New York Times, would be forced to work without pay if a shutdown occurs.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., expressed his desire to avert a government shutdown. “I want to solve the problem,” he told reporters on Wednesday after rejecting a Democrat-endorsed bill known as a continuing resolution (CR). The bill would fund Biden’s government until Nov. 17, while also gifting $6 billion for Ukraine.
“We can fund the government for another six weeks,” Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., stated in defense of the CR. “Or we can shut the government down in exchange for zero meaningful progress on policy.”
But House Republicans have met the bill with staunch rejection. “I don’t see the support in the House,” McCarthy told reporters, according to the New York Post.
