>> Hello and thanks for joining us on Chicago tonight.

I'm Brandis Friedman.

Here's what we're looking at.

The latest as National Guard troops began arriving in the Chicago area.

The Office of Management and Budget is continuing to work with agencies.

>> On who, unfortunately is going to have to be laid off.

>> The White House says thousands of layoffs are imminent.

Amid the outgoing governor ongoing government shutdown, we hear from local federal workers.

And the Trump administration freezes federal funds for the CTA Red Line extension.

What that could mean for the future of the massive infrastructure project.

>> First off tonight, the Texas National Guard is officially on the ground in Illinois.

A Pentagon official confirmed 200 federalized National Guard troops from Texas have arrived in Illinois.

They were seen today arriving at an Army Reserve center in Ellwood about 53 miles south west of downtown Chicago.

This deployment of guards members from another state comes amid a lawsuit and firm opposition from local leaders.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson addressed that this morning.

>> What's really disturbing about all of this is that the National Guard, they have no policing authority or any policing powers.

Is that what they're trained to do?

And so, you know, the intel that we have received obviously is that this president is determined to federalize the National Guard and to occupy our see the city's with with the military.

It's unconscionable.

It's unthinkable this is America today and we're going to do everything in our power to ensure that our democracies ultimately protected.

>> Fbi director Kash Patel also making a stop in Chicago today posting on social media, quote, Chicago will be saved and this FBI will continue to crush violent crime there and all around the country.

Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, combative exchanges this morning as U.S.

Attorney General Pam Bondi took questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee, including criticism that her office has become a law enforcement agency seeking vengeance against President Trump's political opponents.

The top Democrat on that committee is Senator Durbin of Illinois who started his questioning with weather Bondi in the White House consulted over the deployment of National Guard troops in Chicago.

Here's a bit of that exchange.

>> What's the secret?

What you want to keep the secrets?

American people don't know the rationale behind deployment of National Guard troops in my state.

The word is and I think it's been confirmed to the White House.

They're going to transfer Texas National Guard units to the state of Illinois.

What's the rationale for chairman?

As you shut down the government, you voted to shut down the government.

>> And you're sitting here.

Our law enforcement officers are being paid.

They're out there working to protect you.

I wish you love Chicago as much as you hate President Trump and currently the National Guard are on the way to Chicago.

If you're not going to protect your citizens, President Trump will.

>> But on this committee for more than 20 years, that's the kind of testimony you expect from this administration.

A simple question as to whether or not legal rationale for deploy National Guard troops becomes grounds for personal attack.

I think it's a legitimate question.

It's my responsibility.

She refuses answer as to whether she had any conversation with the White House about deploying national troops.

My state.

>> Chicago firefighters and paramedics are one step closer to having a contract with the city.

A city council committee unanimously approved the six-year deal which would give annual raises approximately 3%.

Chicago firefighters Union, local 2 represents nearly 4900 firefighters who are prohibited from striking and have been working without a contract since 2021.

>> This contract which expires June 2027 does not change a rule requiring every engine and truck to be staffed by at least 5 employees, even though two-thirds of calls for help from from the Department for medical emergencies, the city council is set to vote on the deal next week.

Up next, how the government shutdown is affecting some Chicagoans.

That's right.

After this.

>> Chicago tonight is made possible in part why the Alexandra and John Nichols the gym and K maybe family, the Pope Brothers Foundation and the support of these donors.

>> 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 you, best of luck to you as as you work through this shutdown.

Colin Kramer, Joe Hornick, Erica Blandon, Darrell English, thanks to all Thank you.

>> Up next, the latest on the Red Line Extension Project or Nick Bloomberg has that conversation.

The Trump administration says it's freezing 2 billion dollars in previously promised money for the Red Line extension.

>> Over so-called race-based contracting, the long-awaited extension would add stops at 100rd, 100 11th Michigan Avenue near 100 16th and 100 30th.

The CTA was guaranteed funding for the project in the final days of the Biden administration with groundbreaking expected early next year.

Now the funding pause as lawmakers and advocates angry calling the move illegal and unjustified.

Joining us to discuss more are Andrea Reed, president of the Greater Roseland Chamber of Commerce joining us via zoom Turner, clinical professor in urban and regional planning at the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign as well as John Paul Jones of the Red Line Extension TIF Coalition.

We also invited the CTA to join us, but they declined.

But we thank all of you for being here this evening.

It read.

I'd like to start with you, please.

Enough.

Far South Siders have been waiting on the red line extension for decades.

What kind of reaction did you get other folks have when you heard about this so-called funding because it was devastating.

One we have again, as you stated, we've been waiting for the Red line extension since well for decades 50 to him.

But I personally the first project that I had when I became executive director for the Green Rules and Chamber was the Red Line Extension project.

through the years I've I've learned a lot about.

>> Why this is so important to the community more than just it's not just about transportation.

It's about quality of life.

And I want to get into some of that as well.

Later on that.

Now, John Paul Jones, that the Trump administration is justifying this as part of broader Anti Dei effort.

>> But we should say under previous rules, transit agencies couldn't get major federal grants for things like this.

>> Without accounting for businesses owned by people of color owned by women.

Does this move feel like a something of a bait and switch?

>> Certainly it is.

The There's some debate for 6 or much in Chicago about how we're going to do.

But this the we do with diversity and equity, you included we with process in 2024, we develop a real strategy about equity and infrastructure.

he killed quite involved with Now we have to read.

We visit strategies that looks cent.

Now allowing those committees and took her we believe we time to figure how best to communicate this to the public.

And it's going to be a challenge.

But we have meet the test that we do certainly that federal to support project.

>> You know, Lou Turner, there have been a lot of studies about the economic cost of segregation.

How could the red line extension help alleviate some of that help create more opportunities for folks?

>> What are from Planning Council that the study or across the second, a colleague of mine here, University Illinois was part of that study.

But I it's it's such a geyser journalist.

Art, give us leads to follow Red Line extension was part of the 2005 transportation bill signed by George W Bush and work in the Aurora, Illinois.

So this is Republican money.

That's being clawed back by Republican administration.

So you might want to check with the secretary of transportation George W Bush administration.

Republicans, and that's how they feel about bill legislation that another Republican administration, we might even call regime is actually clawing back from the community.

Second thing I would point to is you know, we've got funding from the regional Transportation authority and a guy who was who is kind of senior and he was retiring.

And pulled me aside and told back when was that was maybe 2006.

He says you've studied yourself enough, make make regional study.

So we built in a regional component design into the work that developing communities project, which is the community organization that spirit that wasn't the CTA.

It was that it was a poor community organization.

The south side of Chicago, developing communities project and keep this one on the low because this will really break the money.

It was started by Barack Obama.

but this guy took me aside and says Liscense making a regional study.

So we built original component.

So the south suburbs will stand to lose a lot, too.

money for Red Line extension, not just the predominantly black and brown communities on the far South side Chicago.

>> Yeah, there's that there's a broader base of folks who would benefit from this.

I mean, you know, to that point, though, and re read, the far South side often called a transportation desert.

What kind of challenges do folks face, especially for a significant population of older residents of people with disabilities of lower income folks?

Well, as I stated, it's a quality of life issue.

The people don't have access to transportation, especially when you look at past 95th Street.

It all the way kill, which is at the the end of the >> of our area, which don't these people have to get to jobs.

They have to get to goods and services and there's one bus that will take from to 95th Street.

And I used always joke and we say that the great how could get you the 95th street faster than the and get help for you.

If you miss that bus, that's the best of the best.

Your job.

You know, those are those are things will cause people to possibly lose their some of the things I've heard is that the employees look at ZIP codes.

And if they know that there's a transportation issue, that's that's a job opportunity lost.

You know, John Paul Jones, starting run short on time, but >> the administration has a much less pro transit policy than ones in the past.

If you're telling someone who doesn't use transit, why this project is valuable.

What would you tell them?

>> really about the quality of life is really about people's access to work.

We do want satisfy the public need public transit, but the same time even get to work, they need income.

We have to build a case that review.

Is going make an avid jogger just at the same time, there's hope any opportunity we can get to jobs weakening spurring economic development time to come early.

And so we want encourage and we want to maximize the regional.

We're told we have locally as well with a CD in and even the state and even Cook County to help us make the case more investment in a park.

So region and I think we had momentum and I think we just keep that momentum going.

So excited about.

And we believe that there's assured me up.

is alive.

>> And under Reid, we've got to just about 20 seconds left, but the mayor's pledged to use every tool.

The city's depose Governor Pritzker says he'll defend the state's rights to promise federal investments.

Are you hopeful we'll see a lawsuit.

Should this freeze continue?

I hope that there is some push some enforcement.

>> It needs to be in it.

You know, 1, 1, very important point.

I think is for us to consider.

We talk about jobs.

The red line extension.

Itself will create a lot of jobs, not just jobs but careers.

become a card carrying member of the Union wants to line is done the 20 year in this union.

Now you can work anywhere, right?

So changes to total trajectory of our community help us to get on on the right.

a lot of possible opportunities.

And I know a lot of folks will be keeping their eye on where this goes.

But that's all the time we have.

>> For right now, my thanks to Andrea Reed, John Paul Jones and Luke Turner.

And we're back to wrap things up right after this.

>> That's our show for this Tuesday night.

Now for all of us here at Chicago Brandis Friedman, thanks for watching.

>> Closed captioning is may cost.

I'm Cliff.

If ball.