HONOLULU (KHON2) — As the federal government shutdown stretches on, travelers in Hawaii are wondering when the impacts will reach our airports.
So far, the state Department of Transportation says operations remain stable. But there’s growing concern about how long that can last.
For now, it’s business as usual at Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.
“We’ve been meeting with DOT regularly and daily we meet with all the local workers of all the federal agencies and we’re not seeing any impacts to Hawaii,” said Ed Sniffen, Director of the Hawaii Department of Transportation.
Several airports on the mainland have reported staffing shortages with air traffic controllers during certain shifts, forcing closures and delays at some airports. Even if the shutdown goes on longer, Sniffen says he’s confident there won’t be similar issues here.
“The difficulty that I see is only if the workers decide not to come in. We’ve not seen that though. I think when we talk with our federal agencies here and all the workers here, they’re all committed to the community,” said Sniffen.
TSA and air traffic controllers are considered essential, and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association says it’s urging all members to continue reporting to work.
But Friday will be the first payday since the shutdown. If government operations have not resumed, Oct. 28 would be the first scheduled payday that controllers aren’t paid at all.
“I don’t see how you couldn’t be concerned about the morale impacts on great federal employees who are being asked to work under very difficult conditions without being paid,” said Congressman Ed Case.
Case says he’s using this unscheduled time at home walking his district, but is frustrated with the impasse back in Washington.
“On the continent, we have seen major airports shut down for extended periods of time because they don’t have the federal employees to staff them. And there’s no reason why that wouldn’t happen here as this shutdown drags on. So it’s a very serious situation, and it’s going to accelerate rapidly if we don’t get this done,” said Case.
Congresswoman Jill Tokuda is also worried about the stress on these federal workers as the shutdown continues.
“Behind these things are real humans, real people that are struggling right now during some very difficult times, and I think we need to just give ourselves and each other some grace, show that Aloha, be as civil as possible, even when we disagree. And that’s a message we all have to take to heart quite frankly, because it’s a very passionate time and we feel very strongly, but if we act and lead with aloha, we show some civility, we treat each other with kindness, exude patience, support each other, and as I said from the beginning, Mahalo each other for the work that we do every single day, we’re going to get through this shutdown together,” said Tokuda.
Sniffen says the state will continue to monitor conditions closely, especially if the government shutdown drags on.