Constitutionally, the FAA and TSA are considered essential workers who have taken an oath to their jobs. TSA union representatives acknowledge that. But as the impasse between Republicans and Democrats moves at the speed of "no funding yet," workers may not have the means to make it to work during the heavy travel of the Thanksgiving holiday.

"How would you handle this situation if you went to work for two months, potentially, and you did not receive your paycheck?" Johnny Jones said. "How long do you think you could last without being paid? This is what potentially is being asked for us to do."

Jones is the president of the American Federation of Government Employees. Sixteen hundred members look to him in Dallas and 45,000 nationwide. He said some workers are already talking about not

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