Ricketts Condemns Schumer’s Unserious Demands, Shares Letters from Nebraska Air Traffic Controllers: “Are the Democrats Deaf?”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, in a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) condemned Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and the Democrats for making unserious demands in exchange for reopening the federal government.
“But why I’m here today is to talk about people. Not leverage. Not power. People. Air traffic controllers,” said Ricketts. “These are letters that I have received from air traffic controllers. Handwritten letters that are talking about what they are going through right now because of the minority leader’s shutdown.”
Ricketts read letters from air traffic controllers in Nebraska who are suffering due to the Schumer Shutdown. The air traffic controllers described they are being forced to decide between paying their mortgage or car loan and putting food on their table for their families.
“Are the Democrats deaf? Do they not hear from the people that they are putting in these situations? This is their shutdown,” said Ricketts. “We have patriots here who are suffering. Why don’t they show some of the courage that these people are and stand up to their far-left wing and vote for this bill so that least the people who are working can get paid? Is that so much to ask?”
“A Democrat staffer was earlier quoted as saying, ‘we’re going to do this until planes start falling from the sky.’ Well, folks, we already heard that the FAA is going to cut back 10% this week on the number of flights because of safety concerns,” concluded Ricketts. “But it’s the people that are the air traffic controllers and our law enforcement and everybody else who is working in a federal job that is not getting paid are paying the price for the Minority Leader’s shutdown.”
Watch the video here.
TRANSCRIPT:
Senator Ricketts: “Earlier today, we heard about an offer from the Minority Leader.
“It shows just how unserious he and the Democrats are.
“That offer is full of horse hockey.
“It has things in it that Republicans cannot accept, and he knows it.
“And my colleague from Michigan, a Democrat from Michigan, was just talking about power, because this is what it’s about.
“He mentioned power.
“A number of other folks have talked about leverage.
“They need to have this shutdown for leverage.
“Number of Democrats have said this.
“But why I’m here today is to talk about people.
“Not leverage.
“Not power.
“People.
“Air traffic controllers.
“These are letters that I have received from air traffic controllers.
“Handwritten letters that are talking about what they are going through right now because of the minority leader’s shutdown.
“Let me just read you some of these.
“My wife suffers from a chronic autoimmune disease that without her medication would cripple her.
“Our monthly co pay for her specialty medication is $2,800 a month.
“We have less than two weeks before her next round of medication is due.
“Our situation is not sustainable, even with pulling money from our savings.
“That’s from one of our aircraft controllers in Nebraska.
“Here’s another one.
“Each shutdown gets harder than the last.
“The mental stress of the unknown gets harder each time with my growing family and medical bills for my family, it gets harder every time.
“Both my children have neurological disorders that require constant monitoring and medical care.
I take pride in my job and the service we provide here at Omaha approach control.
“As a patriot and a veteran, I take my federal oath seriously.
“I will always continue to do my job and keep the sky safe and expeditious.
“Or here’s another one.
“Myself and my family, to include my three-year-old daughter, are struggling to make ends meet.
“I now have to decide between putting food on the table, paying my mortgage, paying my car note and many other things I need to survive.
“Are the Democrats deaf?
“Do they not hear from the people that they are putting in these situations?
“This is their shutdown.
“This is their Biden budget.
“They’re not voting for it, they voted for this four times over last 19 months and now they won’t because they’re far left wing tells them not to!
“We have patriots here who are suffering.
“Why don’t they show some of the courage that these people are and stand up to their far-left wing and vote for this bill so that least the people who are working can get paid?
“Is that so much to ask?
“That we pay the people we’re actually trying to keep the skies safe?
“A Democrat staffer was earlier quoted as saying, ‘we’re going to do this until planes start falling from the sky.’
“Well, folks, we already heard that the FAA is going to cut back 10% this week on the number of flights because of safety concerns.
“But it’s the people that are the air traffic controllers and our law enforcement and everybody else who is working in a federal job that is not getting paid are paying the price for the Minority Leader’s shutdown.”