Imagine getting a paycheck, and in the box where it tells you how much you made is just a big zero.

That happened Tuesday for air traffic controllers, who are deemed essential workers but are not getting paid during the government shutdown.

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And the stress level is increasing.

“Today is the first day that we will have a zero paycheck, and it’s disappointing,” Pete Lefevre, who works at Dulles International Airport, told News4.

Lefevre left the interview thinking about his finances to go to work at Dulles.

“Flying is still safe. Air traffic controllers will make sure that flights get to where they need to go and in a safe manner,” he said. “But it does increase risk a little bit. And when we see an increase in risk in

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