For this year’s State of the Union, a majority of the members of the region’s local delegation are using their choice of guest to spotlight federal workers who were furloughed during the longest-ever government shutdown earlier this year.
The list includes federal contractors, who have not received back pay for their five weeks out of work during the shutdown, air traffic controllers, and workers with agencies like the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Environmental Protection Agency. Traditionally, legislators invite guests who help them emphasize their political perspective.
D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton and Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, both Democrats who have sponsored bills to obtain back pay for contractors, are bringing some of these contracted workers to President Donald Trump’s speech at the Capitol.
Norton invited Faye Smith, a Smithsonian security officer and member of the Service Employees International Union, who has been fighting alongside her colleagues for back pay since the shutdown ended.
“I have two daughters and two grandchildren, but I cannot even help them because of the wages we are owed from the shutdown,” Smith said in a release. “That is why I will never give up until we get the pay we need and deserve to provide for our families.”
Van Hollen asked Lila Johnson, a 20-year custodian at the U.S. Department of Agriculture who won’t receive any compensation as a contract employee, to attend. The shutdown made it harder for her to raise her two great-grandchildren on her own, according to a joint release from Van Hollen’s office and the SEIU.
“Low- and middle- wage federal contract workers who are locked out of their jobs during the shutdown have been stuck with mounting bills and no back pay,” Van Hollen said. “I am grateful for Lila Johnson for sharing her account of the hardship she has endured through no fault of her own.”
The entire Northern Virginia delegation is bringing guests who were negatively impacted by the shutdown, according to WAMU.
Rep. Jennifer Wexton, for instance, will be attending the address with Linda McCray, who works for the Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center and was furloughed during the shutdown. Wexton emphasized how badly air traffic controllers were affected, especially with the possibility of another shutdown looming just 10 days away.
“Air traffic controllers—both in training and those eligible for retirement—have left the profession,” Wexton said. “A shortage of air traffic controllers would badly damage the revenue from commercial aviation, and disrupt domestic and international travel. We simply cannot afford another shutdown.” The temporary deal that ended the shutdown expires on February 15.
The trend of highlighting air traffic controllers is one shared by Democrats nationwide, including Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, California Senator Kamala Harris, and Rep. David Cicilline of Rhode Island.
While Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is not taking part in that trend, she has invited some prominent D.C. residents among her guests: Mayor Muriel Bowser and philanthropist/restaurateur José Andrés.
Previously:
Here Are The Street Closures Around The Capitol For Trump’s 2019 State Of The Union
