DENVER — As the government shutdown continues into its third week, Denver7 is hearing from Colorado federal employees who say they're growing extremely concerned.
Angela Grana, a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer at the La Plata Airport in Durango and the regional vice president for AFGE TSA Local 1127, spoke with Denver7 in her personal capacity Friday. She said she's worried about her fellow officers and how they'll pay for everyday expenses, with no end to the shutdown in sight.
"I'm nervous. I'm nervous for my fellow employees, I'm nervous that their funds are running out," Grana said. "I don't know how they're going to pay for their child care. I don't know how they're going to pay for their gas and their food to get to work. It's getting difficult. It's getting harder and harder, and... my hands are tied."
Grana has been a TSA officer at the La Plata Airport for four years. She told Denver7 her concern started to grow after the shutdown surpassed the two-week mark.
"We need a paycheck. We don't need a rain check. We need a paycheck," she said. "We were paid up through the 30th. The end of the week will be Saturday — tomorrow — and it'll be an 80-hour paycheck with no funds."
Grana said the stress of the shutdown is only compounded by other job stressors.
"We're looking for things that go bomb, bash, boom, right? We're looking for explosives. We're looking for dangerous items," she told Denver7. "We've got a lot of stress on our plate. In the back of our mind is, 'How are we going to pay our rent? How am I going to pay my child care? Oh, my God, I'm hungry.'"
Grana's concern comes after multiple days of exorbitant delays at Denver International Airport, much of which were caused by bad weather, though it's unclear if they all were.
Denver7 reached out to TSA, asking if any employee callouts contributed. A TSA spokesperson said in a statement, "TSA has not experienced any delay in operations due to callouts and remains fully capable of facilitating safe and secure travel for passengers."
Denver7 also reached out to officials at the Denver International Airport, inquiring about the hundreds of delays. In a statement, a spokesperson attributed the "periodic disruptions" to weather and said most delays were 30 minutes or less.
- Read the full statement below
DEN experienced a few, periodic disruptions this week, mostly due to morning fog and evening thunderstorms in the area (typical of this time of year), however most delays were 30 minutes or less. For context, delays over an hour are considered notable for DEN operations as the likelihood for lingering impacts and recovery of aircraft backups increases.
DEN has support staff and volunteers throughout the entire airport to assist passengers by providing general airport information. We also have our Canine Airport Therapy Squad (CATS) team to help ease passenger stress.
Travelers are always encouraged to check with their airlines for information on delays.
Grana told Denver7 she's encouraging her coworkers and union members to continue showing up to their scheduled shifts.
"I know it's difficult," she said. "We'll get through this, we have to. We've done it before. We'll do it again, and this is just another stepping stone in our careers for working for the federal government."
Grana's ultimate hope is that the shutdown ends soon.
