Air-traffic controllers make up less than half of one percent of the federal workforce, but when it comes to a government shutdown , they wield disproportionate power. During the prior shutdown, which started in December 2018, the biggest factor in forcing President Donald Trump to back down was their fast-growing resistance. This time, it looks as if they might stare him down again — maybe even faster.

Back then, the country’s longest shutdown was in its fifth week when controllers started to call in sick . They had missed a paycheck, and some were reportedly having to work second jobs . “You start wondering whether you’re going to have enough money to pay all the bills,” says a retired controller who was on duty during that shutdown.

All it took was ten controllers skipping

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