A government shutdown might affect hundreds of federal employees at the airport in Arkansas

Little Rock, Arkansas – Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport officials said that while the airport would not close due to a potential government shutdown, hundreds of their partner federal employees would be forced to work without pay.

The possible shutdown is a result of the inability of legislators in Washington, D.C. to agree on a funding measure.

According to Shane Carter, the airport’s director of public affairs, a shutdown might put a strain on their federal partners’ finances.

“We’re most concerned with our federal partners. They will continue working that would be TSA screeners, FAA the air traffic controller and customs and border protection officers. They will not be paid until after the government shut down is over,” said Carter.

According to the White House, the shutdown would put travelers at risk of delays and compel 50,000 TSA employees and 13,000 air traffic controllers from throughout the country to work without pay.

According to Carter, they do not wish for what happened four years ago to happen again.

“The last government shutdown occurred for 35 days and that caused a tremendous hardship on those federal employees,” said Carter.

Carter claims that because a large number of TSA employees were dependent on their paychecks, they were severely harmed.

He continues by saying that in the event of a shutdown, they want to carry with their 2019 strategy of providing affected parties with a good bank at the airport.

“During the last shut down we helped nearly 500 federal workers and contractor,” said Carter.

Regarding travelers, Carter notes that during the previous government shutdown, some people did encounter lengthy lineups or delayed flights, which is one of the reasons they’re hopeful it won’t occur again.

Carter continues by advising travelers to monitor their flight plans in the event that there is a government shutdown.

It is more likely that the government will close on Sunday at 12:01 ET if no movement is made on the new funding measure.