By MIRA BEINART
Capital News Service
Maryland Democratic officials on Wednesday thanked federal workers who are continuing to show up for work during the government shutdown even though they’re not getting paid right now for their service.
The officials held a morning news conference at the BWI airport to call attention to the plight of Transportation Safety agents, air traffic controllers and others designated “essential workers” and therefore required to report for work.
They also urged Congress and the president to end the budget stalemate so the government can get back to work and essential workers can get paid for their shutdown work.
“We’re here at BWI today because 550 TSA agents and 70 air traffic controllers, support staff and management are employed here and currently working without pay as essential employees,” said Rep. Sarah Elfreth, a Democrat representing Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District. “We have a very simple message: Shutdowns don’t fly.”
Gov. Wes Moore and Democratic members of Maryland’s delegation in the Congress echoed the message. They made their remarks on the eighth day of the federal government shutdown, the first one since 2018, which lasted 45 days. Thousands of Maryland residents in D.C. suburbs and beyond are not collecting paychecks while Congress tries to iron out and approve a spending plan for the coming months.
Those designated as essential are still going into work, even though they will not receive a paycheck until the government reopens. Among those workers are air traffic controllers and the TSA agents who ensure the safety and security of airports nationwide.
But Republicans say the blame belongs on Democratic members of Congress.
“The ball is in the court of the Senate Democrats,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson in a press release on Monday. “Remembering from Civics, we don’t have enough Republican votes to fix this because it takes 60 votes in the Senate to break this impasse, to open the government. There’s only 53 Republicans in the Senate. We need some Democrats to be thoughtful and responsible and do the right thing.”
President Trump also blames the shutdown on Democrats..
The Democrats who gathered at the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport on Wednesday told their side of the story.
“We’re all here because President Trump has not come to the negotiating table,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen. “We call upon him today to join us in bipartisan negotiations to open the government.”
There’s not much the state can do to cushion the economic blow to the more than 250,000 Maryland residents who are employed by the federal government. But they’re doing what they can by providing assistance for housing, utilities and loans.
The Federal Shutdown Loan Program is available to essential workers who are not eligible to apply for unemployment insurance. The program offers a $700, no-interest loan that must be paid back 45 days after the shutdown ends, according to the Maryland Department of Labor.
Non-essential federal employees can be eligible for unemployment insurance, according to the labor department. The Department of Labor is encouraging individuals who have been furloughed due to the shutdown to visit their website to learn more.
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