The federal shutdown continues: Austin airport goes dark

Last week, Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) told the Austin Fox affiliate that Austin’s Bergstrom International Airport has only 27 out of the 60 air traffic controllers it needs to operate the airport safely.

Less than half on the job, underscore the word “safely?”

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett. | Source: doggett.house.gov

The controllers working air traffic are considered “essential employees” by the federal government, and as such are required to work even if they are not receiving a paycheck, courtesy of the government shutdown, which begins its third week this Wednesday.

How many controllers calling in sick are legitimately ill vs. using it a show of protest — get the government back up and running — isn’t known.

What is known is that Austin’s Bergstrom had to shut down for approximately one hour Monday due to a staffing shortage, according to the FAA.

Staffing problems have also been reported at Dallas, Houston, Nashville, and Philadelphia.

Furloughed Workers
Today, about 600,000 federal workers are furloughed because of the shutdown. Others are working without pay because they hold jobs the administration considers critical to protecting property and keeping people safe.

According to a story published Saturday in the NY Times, some key service areas are already feeling the impact of the shutdown: “Veterans no longer have access to career counseling or regional benefits offices. Taxpayers rushing to meet a Wednesday deadline for extended filing are going to have to wait on hold because fewer Internal Revenue Service customer service agents are working to answer questions.”

Meanwhile, the president is floating the idea that some furloughed federal workers won’t receive backpay once the shutdown comes to an end.

“Most of them are going to get back pay, and we’re going to try and make sure of that,” (the president said) on Wednesday. “But some of them are being hurt very badly by the Democrats and they therefore won’t qualify.” (Source: Fox News.)

What that even means, who knows.

If they’re being hurt, no matter who is hurting them, why won’t all furloughed federal workers be eligible for back pay?

Did they vote Democrat last November?

House Speaker Mike Johnson predicted Monday the federal government shutdown could become the longest in U.S. history. He said he won’t negotiate with Democrats until they drop health care demands and vote to reopen.

At issue is approximately $350 billion needed to fund the enhanced Affordable Care Act (AKA, Obamacare) health insurance subsidies over the next decade for approximately 24 million Americans, which were signed into law in 2010 and implemented in 2014.

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 extended the subsidies through the end of 2025.

None of the money goes to undocumented immigrants, by law.

Without the subsidies, according to multiple reports, health insurance costs for the approximate 24 million are expected to double, triple, quadruple, or more, since no one really knows the number .

Critics of the GOP majority in Congress say that $350 billion spread out across 10 years ($35 billion per year) for health insurance subsidies is nothing compared to the $100 billion the U.S. gives away in foreign aid each and every year despite the fact that the U.S. is approximately $37 trillion in debt, as of Aug. 11, 2025. (Source: U.S. Treasury.)