CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cleveland-area air traffic controllers are dipping into savings, talking with banks about loans and starting to think about second jobs as the federal government shutdown enters its fourth week.

“Mortgages are due on Saturday,” said Dan Leipold, a long-time controller at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. “People have to pay for childcare and groceries. It’s a struggle.”

Leipold, alongside about a half-dozen of his colleagues, was greeting passengers and handing out informational pamphlets Tuesday at Cleveland Hopkins, trying to generate support from travelers for an end to the shutdown.

It was part of a larger effort, with air traffic controllers soliciting support from the public at 20 airports nationwide.

The shutdown began Oct. 1 after Congress couldn’t agre

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