Airports experience flight delays and staff shortages during closure
Major airports are experiencing staffing shortages as TSA and air traffic controllers work without pay during the government shutdown.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s administration made good on its threat to lay off thousands of federal workers, with government agencies sending “retrenchment” notices to federal workers ahead of the weekend.
President Trump had been threatening mass layoffs for nearly two weeks if Democrats didn’t agree to terms on funding the government when his administration pulled the trigger on the 11th day of the federal government shutdown.
The president said the cuts affected “Democrat-leaning” areas of the government, but did not say how many people were laid off.
“There’s going to be a lot of people. It’s all the Democrats’ fault,” President Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on October 10, trying to shift the blame for the government shutdown onto the opposing party.
The Trump administration said about 4,000 federal employees have received RIF notices so far. The numbers are detailed in court documents filed by the Justice Department in response to a lawsuit from labor unions representing government employees. However, additional layoffs are planned, government officials told USA TODAY.
The firings drew criticism from Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine who is up for re-election next year.
“Whether federal employees are working without pay or furloughed, their work is critical to serving the nation,” Collins said in a statement. “Arbitrary layoffs harm families in Maine and across our country by creating a lack of sufficient talent needed to carry out agency missions and deliver critical programs.”
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House Speaker Mike Johnson canceled plans to convene the House on Oct. 13 and did not set a date for members to return.
The Senate is out of session until Oct. 14, and senators are expected to vote on government funding again in the evening. This is the eighth time the bill has been submitted. The Republican bill would need the support of five more Democrats across party lines to pass.
The Senate was previously in recess, and it seems increasingly unlikely that shutdown negotiations between Republicans and Democrats over government funding will break down by next Tuesday.
President Trump is scheduled to depart for Israel and Egypt on October 12th. He is not expected to return until October 14th.
The Smithsonian Institution’s museums, including the National Zoo, are scheduled to temporarily close on October 12th.
According to a statement posted on X, social media will not be updated during the closure other than to provide updates on business status.
The Smithsonian Institution operates two museum and zoo complexes in the Washington, DC area and New York City.
The closure means the National Zoo’s popular giant panda camera will not be operational until the closure ends. Staff handling live animal food is considered unnecessary, according to the zoo’s website. The animals will continue to be cared for and fed.
Contributor: Joey Garrison
