the country paralyzed, thousands of flights canceled

This text corresponds to part of the transcription of the report above. Click on the video to watch it in full.

Uninterrupted lines all the way outside the airport in Texas (United States). Hours and hours of waiting, due to lack of enough security employees. “I didn’t know how much close was serious. Well, I realize it at the airport, it’s nonsense“, deplores an airport user. There are already many flights delayed every day, but it will get even worse.

From Friday November 7, 10% of flights will be canceled at 40 airports across the country. The reason? There is still no agreement at the Capitol on the budget for 37 days now. With this shutdown, thousands of federal employees are unemployed. Others have to work without being paid, such as security guards or air traffic controllers. “We get zero dollars on our payroll. Can you imagine how stressful that is?”alerts one of them.

As a result, some prefer to appear pale. There are no longer enough air traffic controllers to guarantee the safety of all flights. “Some took small jobs on the side. Of course, we ask them to come to work, but we are not naive. We understand that they are trying to pay their daily bills” said Sean Duffy, US Secretary of Transportation.

Thursday morning, at Reagan Airport in Washington, some anticipated their trip. A consultant leaves without knowing when he will be able to return. He received an email from the company. His return flight risks being canceled: “I’m thinking about a plan B: rent a car, find a train, but I’m really worried about not being able to go home”.

Associations even organize food distributions within airports to try to help federal employees. Donald Trump summoned Republican elected officials and asked them to find a solution to force through Congress and thus end the shutdown, but he still refuses the slightest compromise with the Democrats.