We find ourselves in a literal Mexican Standoff over the Government Shutdown and Trump’s desire for $5 billion for a completely useless vanity project … The Wall on the southern border. I sincerely see no way out of this Government Shutdown. Donald Trump will not give-up his wall, and has been told by his Right Wing Radio “Brain Trust” that his Presidency would be over if he did so. On the other hand, the Democrats can not yield their position, for by the Wall being declared “immoral” by Speaker Pelosi, there is really no way to reverse the position on funding any of it … additionally, if Democrats cave to Trump and his extortion, that will be the way Trump negotiates with Congress from now on … from shutdown to shutdown to get his way. That’s untenable.
The Government Shutdown has become a petrified forest of political toxicity. Only a Black Swan Event can end the current impasse … Enter ALPA.
ALPA, The Air Line Pilots Association, represents 61,000 pilots in the US and Canada. On January 3rd, ALPA President Joe DePete called on US congressional leaders and President Trump to end the partial shutdown of the federal government on the grounds of safety, security and efficiency of the national airspace system. It’s difficult to believe the conditions that raised ALPA’s initial concerns have improved since January 3rd. So we are now at a point where ALPA, and 61,000 pilots have the ability to become the Black Swan that ends the government shutdown for the good of the United States, for if the pilots of ALPA were to vote to stand down until the government shutdown ended, that would cause the Congress to reopen the government posthaste.
A stand down of ALPA pilots, grounding all flights nationally until the government reopened, would amplify the direct impact of the shutdown on Americans and Business and ratchet up the pressure on Congress exponentially, as travel and commerce related to air travel grounded to a halt. In such a situation we would be looking at hours as opposed to days until the government reopened. I don’t believe President Trump’s veto of the Republican CR’s Pelosi has been sending to the Senate would survive an override in that situation.
So, ALPA is really in the driver’s seat in terms of ending the partial government shutdown. Were the pilots to exert their power, they would find themselves the heroes of Trump’s Shutdown.
So, ALPA … you’re on the clock.