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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF AIR TRAVEL WORKERS IMPACTED BY THE UNITED STATES FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
WHEREAS, the United States federal government shut down on October 1, 2025, when lawmakers failed to pass new funding bills; and
WHEREAS, once the shutdown began, programs and services were halted and federal workers across the nation faced furloughs or working without pay, including those working as air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents; and
WHEREAS, federal workers already recently experienced massive upheaval due to cuts from President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency earlier this year; and
WHEREAS, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey, federal employees number more than 153,000 in Illinois alone with more than 33,000 federal employees in the City of Chicago and 58,545 across Cook County; and
WHEREAS, there are 77 airports in Illinois that are publicly owned, open to the public and eligible for federal funding; and
WHEREAS, airports in Illinois provide a number of benefits beyond commercial air travel, including health, welfare, and safety services such as medical transport and evacuation, flight training, law enforcement flights, military exercises, and search-and-rescue operations, all of which contribute directly to the quality of life of those who live and work in Illinois; and
WHEREAS, safe air travel relies upon the proper management, funding, and employment of TSA agents and air traffic controllers; and
WHEREAS, serious safety issues emerge when the proper funding and staffing that support air travel are abandoned; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Transportation Department has announced that 11,322 FAA employees were to be furloughed after the U.S. federal government officially shut down on the night of September 30, 2025; and
WHEREAS, air traffic controllers had already been feeling mounting pressure with the FAA about 3,800 controller...
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