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Ohio Sen. Jon Husted told viewers on Wake Up America that if your flight gets canceled you can “thank the Democrats,” and he used the opportunity to plead for lawmakers to stop playing politics and reopen the government so Americans stop paying the price for Washington’s dysfunction. Husted urged bipartisan cooperation to get federal services back online and criticized the Democrats’ posture of insisting on their wishlist before allowing relief for struggling families and workers. His bluntness reflects growing GOP frustration that ordinary Americans are being used as bargaining chips in a partisan game.
The warning from the Transportation Department is stark: the shutdown has already hollowed out air-traffic staffing and could force closures of parts of U.S. airspace if the situation worsens, creating genuine mass chaos for travelers. With thousands of air traffic controllers and TSA officers working without pay and absenteeism spiking, airports are already seeing sharp increases in delays and cancellations that will only get worse heading into the holidays. This is not an abstract policy fight — it is a tangible public-safety and economic crisis brought on by a refusal to govern.
Husted has repeatedly pushed a simple moral point: if federal employees aren’t being paid, members of Congress shouldn’t be collecting paychecks until the government reopens, a stance he says might finally snap Democrats out of their obstruction. That principled position isn’t theater — it’s accountability, and it forces elected officials to feel the same pressure that millions of Americans feel in their bank accounts. Conservatives should stand behind measures that make Washington share the pain of its choices while negotiations continue.
Airlines are already reporting declines in bookings as travelers lose confidence, and industry leaders warn that the longer this drags on, the more widespread cancellations and chaos will become across the system. The practical fallout is obvious: lost wages, ruined plans, stranded families, and an economy hit at the worst possible time for holiday travel. Anyone who thinks policy fights are separate from people’s lives should take a single trip through a shuttered ticket counter and listen to the frustration.
Republicans must keep insisting on reopening the government while remaining willing to negotiate sensible, targeted reforms; Democrats, meanwhile, should stop weaponizing basic functions of government for political leverage. The country doesn’t need grandstanding from elites who lecture about compassion while enjoying an uninterrupted paycheck — it needs results and responsible leadership that puts citizens first. It’s time to reopen agencies, pay essential workers, and then hash out policy differences without holding the public hostage.
Americans deserve better than this political cruelty, and it’s up to conservative voters and lawmakers to demand accountability and action now. Every canceled flight and every unpaid federal worker is a vivid reminder that the priorities of Washington’s left are warped when they choose ideology over citizens’ welfare. Stand with those who want the lights back on, the controllers back at their towers, and the people’s business returned to the people.
