Скачать или смотреть Democrats Block Pay for Troops: Shutdown Chaos Mounts

*SHUTDOWN, AIR TRAFFIC, FATIGUE, FEDERAL WORKERS, DEMOCRATS BLOCK PAY.* The budget deadlock on Capitol Hill has escalated into a direct crisis impacting national air travel and the livelihoods of public servants. The 23-day appropriations lapse leaves millions of federal workers poised to miss their first full paycheck.

Here is the BESTCast News overview of the ongoing political failure in Washington:

The Senate floor saw a dramatic display of political calculation this week as lawmakers rejected the core proposals aimed at paying federal employees immediately. Republicans, attempting to mitigate the financial suffering imposed by the lapse, brought forward the Shutdown Fairness Act to pay "excepted" essential personnel—including military servicemembers, Border Patrol, and air traffic controllers—who are forced to work without compensation.

This Republican effort was summarily blocked by Democrats in a 54-45 vote. Senate Democrats claimed the bill was "overly selective and incomplete", but their true concern was granting the Administration what they called a "blank check" to determine who is "essential" and who gets paid. Minority Leader Schumer himself labeled the GOP bill a "ruse," arguing it was merely "another tool for Trump to hurt federal workers" and prolong the crisis.

So, instead of passing immediate relief, the opposition chose to deny paychecks to those actively performing security duties and military service. This is political maneuvering designed to increase pressure, using public servants as pawns.

The inevitable consequences of this obstruction are already devastating the nation's infrastructure. Air traffic controllers, already strained by shortages, are reporting that the workforce is **"stressed out and fatigued" and "nearing a breaking point"**. As they received their first "zero paychecks" this week, some are forced to work second jobs—driving for Uber or Instacart on their days off—to make ends meet. This fatigue has immediate public safety implications: staffing shortages caused the FAA to issue three ground stops at major U.S. airports. Crucially, flight delays attributed to controller staffing have **skyrocketed from five percent before the shutdown to 53 percent now**.

The Transportation Secretary admitted he cannot guarantee that flights will be on time or not be cancelled. This crisis is not just a government issue; it is a profound economic injury, costing the U.S. an estimated *$3.3 billion in lost travel spending* in the first 24 days.

While Republicans sought to at least pay the excepted workers now*, Democrats countered with their own proposal, the *True Shutdown Fairness Act*, which demanded pay for all federal employees and contractors *during the shutdown and included a prohibition against Administration-mandated layoffs, or Reductions in Force. Republicans blocked this counter-measure, but the parties continue to signal a grudging willingness to negotiate for a mutually acceptable compromise to pay employees.

Meanwhile, the executive branch has been accused of attempting to undermine existing law. Despite the 2019 statute guaranteeing back pay for all affected federal employees, the Administration has questioned that entitlement, inflicting *"needless uncertainty and hardship"* on hundreds of thousands of public servants who are caught in the middle of this manufactured crisis.

The result: gridlock prevails, the essential workforce struggles without pay, and the public bears the burden of a political theater that has literally shut down the skies.