BEAUMONT, Texas — Airport radar technicians working in Beaumont and Lake Charles say they expect to see zeros on their next paychecks as the federal government shutdown continues, leaving many essential workers without pay.

“This is not a joking matter, it’s serious,” said William Cruise, a unionized radar technician with the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists who maintains systems at both airports. Cruise said his pay stub for the coming week already shows no earnings. “This coming Tuesday will be our first missed paycheck,” he said. “We have our pay stub just came out yesterday that had zeros on it.”

Cruise has worked as a technician since 2012 and said this isn’t his first time dealing with a shutdown. “My first year in the agency, we had a shutdown,” he said. “Then in 2019, we

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