>> The federal government shut down nearly a week ago after lawmakers in Washington failed to pass a spending bill by the October first deadline.

Our short-term proposal to keep the government funded through late November failed in the Senate yesterday, White House officials warned that thousands of federal workers could soon face layoffs if the bill isn't passed and the effects are already being felt here in Chicago.

Joining us now with more are calling Kramer a Chicago up a worker and union steward for the American Federation of Government Employees.

Local 704, Joe Hornick a Social Security administrator in Chicago Heights and administrative director of GE, Local 13 95.

Erika Bland, executive vice president of the service Employees International Union Health Care in Illinois who represents Veterans Affairs.

Administration workers and Darrell English, TSA officer at Midway Airport and president of GE, Local 7.77, thanks to all of you for joining us.

Gillett want to start with you because the shutdown, it has stopped the Social Security administration from processing award letters for Housing Assistance Program.

What does that mean in practice?

Would that mean that you will do and how is it affecting people who receive housing assistance?

It's that time of year where people go through recertification for their public housing.

>> so usually the public housing authorities, Wilson, people into the local Social Security office end the war letter.

What we also call a benefit verification letter.

This is one of the workloads that still security employees are not allowed to process.

It has 0 cost.

And they're not allowed to process that.

And one employee told me that they had a woman who literally broke down crying in the office.

>> Because she could not get her letter to go to her housing authority.

>> So that means, for example, when she goes back to the housing authority to receive the benefits that she needs for, we're too risky to confirm that she's eligible for that housing.

What happens for someone like that?

We don't know what they're going with.

The response is going to be if they're going to give them grace until the shutdown is over or they're just going say, well, you didn't fulfill the requirements there for.

>> got a look.

>> What are some of the other SSA functions that are being affected that might be felt by people who rely on Social Security.

One of the ones a stop today is what's called integrity, workloads.

>> These are workloads were so security checks to make sure someone is still eligible for their benefits.

It could be someone who is on disability to make sure there's still medically qualified.

It could be a disability beneficiary who's trying to get back into the workforce and make sure they're not making too much money where there are no longer considered to be disabled.

It's the recertification is for the SSI program, which is the photo welfare program to make sure they still meet the income and asset guidelines.

All that work is now stopped, which means people are going to end up being overpaid.

And again, taxpayer money.

Especially for the SSI program.

And then so security will not be able to collect on those over payments because it's not the beneficiaries fault.

Because of the shutdown.

Loss of taxpayer dollars.

Okay.

So Darrell, you you're a TSA worker at midway as we mentioned.

But as we're coming on the air tonight, we're learning about a 41 minute ground delay or it is averaging about 41 minutes of a delay that's happening at O'Hare.

>> Tsa workers are set to receive a partial paychecks soon.

But after that, they'll be working without pay.

If some people decide to leave their jobs just because they can't afford to work without getting paid, what impact might that have on Chicago's airport travelers?

>> Well, for right now, most officers on officers are aware of their peers about the positions and how important it is critical to make make sure that the aviation passengers are safe and secure.

So if you get the point where like you said that gets the point where they don't have funds available to get back and forth.

We're trying to look at different avenues be able to system whether it's car pooling, whether it's other methods.

So we're looking at that.

But there's gonna be some officers that are in those areas that we can assist.

So we're trying to make sure that those officers are not penalize or picking adverse action.

Lot of them are probationary officers must another concern.

They're more easily be moved.

So we kind of make sure who was who's going to be more liable, who can actually make it there and how continuing at self help to work these officers to make sure to get back and forth to work probationary meeting their new are on the job.

I'm still in a probationary period at work.

>> And like you said, more easily released from the job.

If if that's what it comes to.

Erica, President Trump said in a news conference today that we could see permanent cuts to some of these federal programs.

>> Here's a bit of what he said.

>> If a lot of things that we're going eliminate and permanently eliminating, you know, one of the things that we have is some advantage you could say, but because of the shutdown, which I think that made a big mistake were able to take out.

Billions and billions of dollars of waste, fraud and abuse.

And they've handed you know, to award a silver platter.

>> Erika VA hospitals in Illinois, they've already experienced layoffs this year.

How will veterans who need medical services be impacted if some of these layoffs end up being permanent?

Well, what we're seeing is that since he's taken office, there has been they've instituted a hiring freeze.

And what we're seeing is that more vacancies.

>> Are happening.

So the delivery of services will be slower.

When we talk about health care delivery system, there are lots of jobs that contribute to that.

So we're talking about housekeeping.

We're talking about dietary radiology, respiratory patient transport, all of those things that you have fewer people that are showing up to do the jobs because you simply aren't filling the vacancies.

It makes it harder to deliver those services to the people we promise to to like veterans and their families who deserve quality health care.

>> Colin, how's the work that you do at the Chicago EPA?

How's it being affected by the shutdown?

>> Well, currently the EPA does have carry over funds from Fy 25 to continue operations.

So as of right now, most of the colleagues that I represent are still working.

What we don't know is when that's going to run out.

We're in a situation where we're in limbo and wondering every day whether we're going stop the work that we're doing.

And at EPA, that's important because we're dealing with projects and sites that our multi-year with sampling that are super specific to specific times of year and we might miss our window for remediation of Superfund sites to monitor clean water, clean air.

So the uncertainty right now is causing a lot of the workers that I represent to feel uneasy about our work going forward.

What kind of communication have you received either from Washington, a regional offices so far, the only communication that we received was a anonymous e-mail on September 30th that told us whether we were exempt or not that we were supposed to continue coming and that at some point, if there was a furlough notification, we would have 4 hours to shut down and put up our out of office notifications, which I will say is unusual with past shutdowns and passed a potential shutdowns.

The administration also has also floated the idea that there may not be back pay for furloughed workers whenever the shutdown ends and folks can go back to work.

>> Erica, what is what's your reaction to that to that possibility?

Well, our members are continuing to be this moment.

But I think what is important to understand is that there are some workers who are not hired directly, but they are federal contractors.

>> So those workers are in effect working without pay right now.

Right?

We're not working at all and they're not going to get paid or back pay.

It will have significant impact and implications that those are people who rely on public assistance.

In the meantime, to get by got farther and farther behind on bills were talking about working class people.

So it will be detrimental to them on top of that, we're also talking about health care, right?

This whole shutdown is about Medicaid and about giving tax cuts to billionaires.

We're going to see 73% increase in premiums for people who already can't afford health care.

And that's not fair on top of not being paid, not having the benefits that they deserve.

There's a lot at stake in on the line and inforcement.

There's a lot of debate over what the shutdown is about.

Republicans and Democrats.

obviously not seeing eye to eye on what that's about.

>> Darrell, same question to you, though, because you all are approaching, as we said, you know, your your your last partial paycheck.

What do you think if if workers you have to keep working and when the shutdown and to go back to work and there's no backup.

Well, that's like I said, it's going to affect each individual differently.

Some people have been seasoned or been there longer.

>> They have they have the ability to be to save of funds.

Those that are new or that just came the TSA may be their first real job certain that we're not really is financially stable.

So lose that income debt.

They were forced into.

That's going to be to have a dramatic impact to them.

And I hate to put someone into the position where now they have to go out to get loans to pay back certain other bills.

And police estimate the further back.

So it's just a it's a ripple effect that will happen if that would occur.

Joel, similar situation as Social Security, you all are about to start working without pay.

Do you think that some folks might have to make the choice to to find other work at pains?

>> This week full security employees will receive a partial paycheck and then that will be the last money they'll have coming in until the shutdown is over.

>> Employees are already worried about how they're going to put food on the table census a pretty employees a forest or how they're going to pay for the day care.

How they gonna for gas in the car.

We have many employees who are wanting come only family.

I only have one income and this week I will only have a partial paycheck.

I don't the pay my bills.

Okay.

Colin, we're almost out of time.

A lot has been made of the White that the distinction between essential and non essential government workers.

30 seconds.

What do you make that distinction?

>> drawing that delineation?

There is no distinction in my mind, everybody sitting at this table, all of the colleagues that I work with, everybody in the federal government.

>> They are central ploy ease.

They go out day in day out and they serve the public.

So what we're seeing right now with this White House's threat to potentially not pay back pay.

It's a slap in the face of the people who go out and serve the American public every single day.

And it's even more to make sure that we have something like the Senate bill.

288, 2 for the continuing resolution, which also will provisions in it to rein in some of the executive authority to claw back those like another discussion for another day course and we'll do it But my thanks to all of