President Donald J. Trump participates in the ceremonial swearing in of Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia in the Oval Office, Monday, September 30, 2019. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)
President Donald Trump has betrayed, or "left out in the cold," a group of key workers that he once encouraged to trust him.
"The new, chillier approach includes a nearly six-month-long delay in a congressionally mandated pay hike for the nation’s 15,000 air traffic controllers, which the Federal Aviation Administration granted only recently while demanding concessions on work hours," reported Politico's Oriana Pawlyk on Sunday. "Meanwhile, the Transportation Security Administration has provoked a union grievance by requiring its document checkers at airport checkpoints to stand throughout their shifts."
Pawlyk continued, "At the same time, Congress has spun its wheels on efforts to ensure that controllers and TSA workers get paid during future shutdowns, despite pleas from unions and the industry."
Daniel Horowitz, legislative director of the American Federation of Government Employees, told Pawlyk that "when there were shutdowns, these workers were hailed as heroes, and when they’re being paid again their modest wages, their needs and interests seem to be forgotten."
Airlines for America Christopher Sununu, meanwhile, told Pawlyk that he believes matters can be worked out, "given how difficult the legislative environment is — most things just die on the idea stage — It does seem to resonate with folks, and I think we can find a path for at least one of these things to kind of come to fruition.”
Sununu also told the Politico reporter that "even with lawmakers out of Washington and on the campaign trail for the midterms, lobbying efforts have not slowed, he said. A4A and its umbrella group, the Modern Skies Coalition, are engaging with lawmakers 'every day' to stress the importance of the effort and push for results, he said."
As Sununu explained, “I think folks understand that shutdowns erode confidence in government, and both sides of the aisle need to — especially post-election — hopefully move something forward."
Trump's Department of Transportation has faced a number of controversies. Earlier in October, Trump's deregulatory policies spanned to allowing airlines not to reimburse customers for a number of offenses, including cybersecurity attacks, medical emergencies not caused by the airline, the removal of unruly passengers, a baggage or cargo delay not caused by the airline's own bag system, government shutdowns, airport closures due to natural events like ash or wind or wind shear, aircraft cleaning needed after the death of a passenger, aircraft damage caused by extreme weather or foreign object debris or sabotage, overheated brakes that cause emergency procedures and unscheduled maintenance.
