PLANTATION, FLA. (WSVN) - On Day 32 of the government shutdown two members of Congress met with furloughed federal workers in Plantation.
This meeting occurred as several hundreds of thousands of federal employees are in the midst of another week without a paycheck.
Several furloughed workers attended the meeting on Tuesday morning and spoke about their current situation.
Some attendees that spoke out included an air traffic control worker, aviation specialist and a TSA worker.
Aviation specialist Robert Guevara said that his crew isn’t even at work right now, and that alone is a danger.
Guevara added that it is a danger that aviation experts are not at airports and around the airplanes as they are accustomed to being.
“We are that last layer of safety that covers in between the airline and the flying public, and we’ve been stripped out,” said Guevara.
Some TSA and air traffic controllers said they are being forced to go to work after taking an oath to do so.
The employees said the longer the shutdown drags on, the more worried they become.
“The layers of safety have been eroded at this point,” said Bill Kisseadoo, an air traffic controller.
U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., attended and spoke at the event as well.
“We need to stop playing this game of chicken,” said Wasserman Schultz.
Linda Jones, a TSA employee in attendance at the meeting, said she has two sick children and is having a hard time meeting the co-payments needed for their medications.
“I don’t know if my son is going to get his insulin medicine. I don’t know if my daughter is going to get her medicine for MS,” said Jones.
Kisseadoo claimed employees who are going to work are worn out.
“Fatigue has set in. People are focused on the job, not as much as they need to be much of the time because they’re worried about payments to their bills, payments that they have to take care for child care and things of that nature when they need to be worried about the passengers and worrying about the flights more than they’re doing right now,” Kisseadoo said.
South Floridians are stepping in to help those affected by the shutdown.
Beef O’Brady’s in Cooper City is offering free meals to affected employees.
Owner Brent Ginsburg extended the service through the end of the week because of the overwhelming response.
“Wherever you stand as far as politics, hopefully everyone can agree that there’s 800,000 people out there that need help,” said Ginsburg.
The Hilton on Fort Lauderdale Beach is also assisting the workers by offering free toiletries.
“We work here, and we want to support the people that are in this community,” a representative said.
Last week, Farm Share provided groceries to 500 aviation employees.
Colada Cuban Coffee House and Eatery served breakfast for the Fort Lauderdale Coast Guard.
Miami-Dade County officials also fired up the grills to provide lunch to TSA employees.
These are just a few acts of kindness during tough times for a group of people who just want to get back to work.
“How could it be that a federal employee in the United States of America, the greatest country on earth, should have those problems? It makes no sense,” said Guevara.
South Florida congressional leaders left Tuesday to return to Washington, D.C., where talks to reopen the government will hopefully commence.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Democrats in Congress said they still do not want to take part in a deal that involves a border wall.
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