Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley is arguing that the “GOP shutdown” is taking a toll on operations at Logan Airport, however Massport says enterprise stays regular on the Boston journey hub amid the federal government closure.
Pressley, a Boston Democrat, is demanding an finish to the month-long federal shutdown, blaming Republicans for inflicting what she describes as disruptions at airports throughout the nation.
Republicans are nonetheless in want of 5 votes to clear the 60-vote threshold to make sure passage of the GOP’s authorities funding laws to reopen the federal government, after a single senator failed to modify their vote for the thirteenth time on Tuesday.
“Delays, cancellations, & long lines,” Pressley said in an X publish on Wednesday. “The GOP shutdown is impacting our airports and leaving air traffic controllers & TSA agents without pay, including at Boston Logan. Republicans need to reopen the government, pay federal workers, keep our airports running & skies safe.”
Airport visitors controllers at Logan didn’t obtain a paycheck on Tuesday, marking the primary time amid the shutdown that they’ve labored for no cash. They had been partially paid on Oct. 14.
Regardless of the monetary pressures being felt by staff, Massport is refuting Pressley’s declare of disruptions at Boston Logan Worldwide Airport.
“We haven’t seen any impacts at Logan,” Massport spokeswoman Jennifer Mehigan informed the Herald Wednesday afternoon. “We will put out messaging on our social accounts notifying the public if we see any changes.”
In accordance with the Federal Aviation Administration, departure visitors destined for Logan on Wednesday skilled common delays of as much as 55 minutes on account of runway development.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has voiced considerations that flight delays throughout the nation might multiply as more and more stressed-out air visitors controllers name out sick. A lot of the delays have been remoted and non permanent.
Aviation analytics agency Cirium has discovered that 20% of all flights are delayed greater than quarter-hour at any given time on account of numerous elements. Knowledge exhibits there has not been a dramatic improve within the complete variety of delays total for the reason that shutdown started on Oct. 1.
Practically 80% of flights at a pattern of 14 main airports nationwide have nonetheless been on time this month.
Earlier within the shutdown, Massport said that it wouldn’t be enjoying a video at its airports of Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem blaming Democrats for the federal authorities shutdown.
The quasi-state company primarily based its determination on by no means receiving a request to show the video, and there are “no video screens at our TSA checkpoints,” Mehigan mentioned earlier this month.
At different airports nationwide, the video will not be being displayed as a result of it violates their insurance policies or laws that prohibit political messaging at their amenities. That record contains Las Vegas, Charlotte, Atlanta, Phoenix and Seattle, amongst others.
Within the video, Noem says that TSA’s “top priority” is to assist make journey nice and environment friendly whereas maintaining passengers secure.
“However, Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government,” the DHS secretary says, “and because of this, many of our operations are impacted, and most of our TSA employees are working without pay.”
A Massachusetts company has obtained comparable blowback after it posted a message on its web site blaming President Trump and Congressional Republicans for not issuing November SNAP advantages.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
