The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Trump: No aircraft for Pelosi
Three-country trip to visit American troops canceled in wake of shutdown.
News services
It took President Donald Trump one day to flex his executive power back at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, denying her an aircraft for a planned trip abroad in apparent response to her attempt to delay his State of Union address amid their government shutdown clash.
The nation’s two most powerful leaders appeared to be engaged in a game of Constitutional one-upmanship, as negotiations to end the 4-week stalemate failed to produce results. The shutdown began Dec. 22 and is the longest ever.
In a letter to Pelosi on Thursday, Trump said that due to the shutdown a trip to Egypt, Brussels and Afghanistan would be delayed, declaring: “In light of the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay, I’m sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is totally appropriate.”
A spokesman for Pelosi says the trip was intended to express appreciation to U.S. troops and reaffirm the United States “ironclad commitment” to the NATO alliance.
Another trip canceled
Facing his own questions about plans to send a delegation of top officials to Davos, Switzerland, next week for the World Economic Forum, Trump late Thursday announced that he would scrap the trip “(o)ut of consideration for the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay.” Trump himself dropped out of the conference earlier this month but had planned to send top officials including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Before the announcement, Democrats had questioned why Pelosi’s trip was canceled while the trip to Davos was still on.
Unemployment claims
The number of furloughed federal employees seeking unemployment benefits jumped in the first two weeks of the partial government shutdown and topped 10,000 during the week of Jan. 5.
The Labor Department says that’s double the number of federal workers who sought aid in the previous week.
The department says federal employees who aren’t working during the shutdown are eligible to claim unemployment aid. But those who are working without pay are not.
Those sent home will have to repay the aid if they get back pay once the shutdown ends.
Airport staffing stabilized
Officials say the rate of airport 4 missing work during the partial government shutdown has stabilized just days before the upcoming Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, which is likely to mean bigger airport crowds.
The Transportation Security Administration says 6.1 percent of its airport screeners missed work Wednesday.
That compares with 5 percent on the same day last year. The sick-out rate was 7.7 percent on Sunday.
Diplomats being recalled
The State Department is telling all U.S. diplomats in Washington and at embassies abroad to return to work starting next week and that they will be paid despite the ongoing government shutdown.
In a notice to staff, the department said it had found money to pay its employees beginning Monday for the next two-week pay period. It was not immediately clear where the money was found.