President Donald Trump thanked the federal workers who are set to face another federal pay period without paychecks, for their service and dedication and also called them “great patriots,” Fox News informed.
“To all of the great people who are working so hard for your Country and not getting paid I say, THANK YOU – YOU ARE GREAT PATRIOTS! We must now work together, after decades of abuse, to finally fix the Humanitarian, Criminal & Drug Crisis at our Border. WE WILL WIN BIG!” Trump tweeted on Sunday.
Workers in the Transportation Security Administration are among the estimated 460,000 federal employees who have been working without pay. The agency has been faced with far higher than usual unscheduled absences during the shutdown – and now the agency said workers have been calling out of work due to the fact that they cannot afford to get there.
According to a Sunday release, “many employees are reporting that they are not able to report to work due to financial limitations.”
Indeed, the agency said that, on Saturday, 8 percent of employees skipped work compared to 3 percent a year ago.
The disruption has forced screening area closures at some airports, including at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, where “Checkpoint A” was closed Saturday.
Democrats and Republicans appeared no closer to ending the impasse Sunday than when it started, with Trump lashing out at his opponents after they rejected a plan he’d drafted as a compromise.
Trump gave an offer to temporarily extend protections for young immigrants brought to the country illegally as children and those fleeing disaster zones in exchange for $5.7 billion for his border wall. But Democrats said the three-year proposal didn’t go nearly far enough.
The criticism from both sides underscored Trump’s boxed in-position as he tries to win at least some Democratic buy-in without alienating his base.
Democrats say there’s little chance the measure will reach the 60-vote threshold usually required to advance legislation in the Senate. Republicans have a 53-47 majority, which means they need at least some Democrats to vote in favor.
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