Complaints about the ongoing government shutdown escalated this week, putting more pressure on Congress to end the impasse over President Trump’s demand for border wall money, and reopen the government.
On Tuesday, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts released a statement that said federal courts would run out of money on Feb. 1, and would have to make decisions on which staff to keep on to work without pay to support “mission critical work.” That would add to the hundreds of thousands of workers who have already been stuck without a paycheck, including those who have been told they are required to keep working.
The Transportation Security Administration has been closely watched since the shutdown started on Dec. 22 for signs that workers aren’t showing up, which could pose significant travel delays at airports around the country. On Sunday, TSA said 10 percent of these employees made unscheduled call outs, which was more than triple the amount of call outs from the year before.
Due to the increased pressure on busy airports to continue operating security efficiently, TSA sent an internal email to 100 airports in 10 different states calling for 250 employees to leave their home airports to support other airports struggling from staff shortages.
Another agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, warned in a report that many of its key investigations are being delayed by the shutdown, including those related to child trafficking.
“On the child exploitation side, as an [undercover employee], I have had to put pervs on standby … this just puts children in jeopardy,” said one anonymous official in the report.
Also this week, Coast Guard Adm. Karl Schultz lamented that guardsmen were forced to rely on food pantries to survive the shutdown.
And Border Patrol agents were being helped by several cities, states and organizations in border states. Many were offering border officials free meals, low-interest loans and other perks to help them get by.
But while federal agencies struggle to maintain some basic level of service, the federal workers themselves are signaling that they’ve had enough of working for no pay. On Friday, they will miss their second paycheck, which has led some to visit food banks and seek other charitable program assistance as they dip into their savings.
A day ahead of the Senate’s scheduled vote on two competing funding bills, furloughed employees descended on Hart Senate Building to engage in a sit-in in protest of the continued shutdown.
All of these factors may finally be weighing heavily on public sentiment. In a new CBS poll, most said they want the government to reopen, even if it means Trump doesn’t get his wall money.
That poll said 71 percent believe the wall is “not worth the shutdown,” and even Republicans are closely divided on that question. It said 56 percent of Republicans want Trump to keep up pressure on Democrats for the wall, while 43 percent disagree.
