by Serwan Zangana
The political conflict between the Democrats and the Republicans has reached its pinnacle as each party recriminates the other and leaves the Americans in the hurricane of the political agenda struggling and listening to the empty promises. The long weeks of the partial government shutdown, that was declared as the result of the disagreement between the two parties over the Department of Homeland Security funding left the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) without pay.
It was indeed absurd as the argument between the lawmakers continued and the days of the partial government shutdown were extending while the (TSA) workers carried the burden without pay. The gap between the Democrats and the Republicans has widened as the political tolerance is missing and the politicians are indeed not seeking to find a common ground in order to solve the ongoing issues in America.
The lawmakers ignored the fact that the longer they keep the government shutdown, the more the (TSA) employees and their families struggle. According to the (TSA) official, the agency has lost 480 employees since the government shutdown began. The question is: Would any lawmaker have the courage to refuse his or her paycheck and step-down to feel the agony of the unpaid (TSA) employees?
American lawmakers have disabled the government and failed the American people as the House of Representatives and the Senate became the political battle ground. The Democrats and the Republicans apparently sacrificed the (TSA) employees in order to push their agenda further and establish a new policy for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which reforms the agency and changes its operation.
It is not a puzzle to realize that President Trump’s strategy in deploying the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to the states and the cities across America attributed to such chaos of the government shutdown. As the Democrats unsurprisingly opposed and defied the strategy, Trump adamantly continued to deploy the (ICE) agents, and instead of the cooperation between the Democrats and Trump for a successful crackdown on the undocumented immigrants, the two intensified the battle and resulted in the government shutdown.
Seemingly, the lawmakers are in denial of the American reality, which is that unaffordability has become a pervasive issue. The cost of living, rent, healthcare, and other necessities have been an immense burden on American shoulders. The lawmakers should set aside the political conflict and step outside the box, which is the party’s affiliation to embed with the average Americans, including the (TSA) employees and realize that generally, the American dream for many people is a nightmare.
However, while President Trump boasts about a strong economy and his effort in saving millions of dollars for Americans, apparently, on a daily basis, the average Americans do not see the reduction of economic hardship. This means the President is selling optimism to the American people. However, despite passing the budget bill by the Senate to fund the Department of Homeland Security, excluding the (ICE), it will not be as simple for the (TSA) to heal from the impact of the partial government shutdown.
According to Associated Press (AP), the (TSA) employees have faced a financial crisis during the shutdown as many of them have never predicted or imagined to be in such a position to seek assistance and donations. Taylor Desert, a (TSA) Indianapolis International Airport employee said that before reporting to work she had to stop at a food bank for food. “I never thought I would be in a position where, working for the federal government, I would need to go to a food bank to supplement my groceries.” Desert said.
Last Friday, Homeland Security Secretary Mark Wayne Mullin said the (TSA) employees should receive paychecks on Monday, but in fact the intentional damage has already been done with the paychecks being held hostage by the Senate. Another (TSA) employee, Rebecca Wolf said that she cries everyday, as she is concerned about her life and the uncertainty of her job and fear of becoming homeless as she was in the past.
After all, as the lawmakers are acting impulsively and using American people as the tools in their dirty political conflicts, should the Americans cast their votes for such politicians?
