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A viral video showing two women unclogging a luggage block at a baggage claim carousel in San Diego pointed to the ongoing government shutdown and the question of whether staffing troubles at major airports are to blame. Originally posted on TikTok, the clip shows the two women, among a throng of passengers at San Diego International Airport, climb onto a carousel and disappear into the part of the conveyor belt that unloads the luggage. Both women grab the suitcases clogging the apparatus and empty them onto the carousel. An airport staff member is seen ordering the women to get off the machine. As they climb off, some passengers are seen clapping for them. ‘Struck His Head on the Metal Door’: White Massachusetts Cop Who Attacked Black Man for Asking a Question and Then Lied About It, Learns Fate The video garnered more than 13 million views on TikTok, where thousands of viewers praised the women for their actions. The clip was captioned, “never wait on a gov employee to do a pissed off traveler’s job,” and was overlaid with text mentioning the government shutdown. Posted days before the Senate passed legislation to end the shutdown, the clip highlighted the uncertainties that surfaced about air travel after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it would slash air traffic by 10 percent at dozens of major markets. In the days before the agency’s announcement, other videos emerged online showing long security lines at major airports, where delays, cancellations, and staffing shortages started weighing down operations. News about the air travel cuts came weeks into the record-length shutdown, as air traffic controllers struggled to continue working after more than a month without pay. The Transportation Security Department said many air traffic controllers were forced to call out and find temporary employment to make ends meet. The video raised the question of whether staffing shortages due to the shutdown were to blame for the carousel mishap. “We waited about 40 minutes and then they started unclogging the bags themselves,” the woman who posted the video told Newsweek. “No one at the airport was even in sight to help until they saw the girls doing it themselves. I filmed because I was annoyed with the airlines and the government and wanted to share with my group chat what they might be in for when traveling this week.” In a statement to Newsweek, a spokesperson for the San Diego International Airport confirmed that “the events depicted in the video followed a baggage carousel jam and were unrelated to the government shutdown.” While airport staffers like air traffic controllers and TSA agents are direct employees of the federal government, but baggage handlers typically work for the airlines themselves or private ground handling companies contracted by airlines. Air traffic controllers, who streamline air traffic for commercial passenger flights, cargo planes, and private flights, are essential government workers who are required to work even under circumstances when they’re not paid, such as during government shutdowns. President Donald Trump recently took to social media to scold air traffic controllers who didn’t show up to their jobs during the shutdown and threatened to withhold their pay. “All Air Traffic Controllers must get back to work, NOW!!! Anyone who doesn’t will be substantially ‘docked,'” Trump wrote on TruthSocial. “For those Air Traffic Controllers who were GREAT PATRIOTS, and didn’t take ANY TIME OFF for the ‘Democrat Shutdown Hoax,’ I will be recommending a BONUS of $10,000 per person for distinguished service to our Country. For those that did nothing but complain, and took time off, even though everyone knew they would be paid, IN FULL, shortly into the future, I am NOT HAPPY WITH YOU.” The government shutdown has lasted 42 days so far, but its end is in sight, with the recent passage of a stopgap funding bill in the Senate that now needs to clear the House of Representatives. Senate Republicans and Democrats were locked in a lengthy standoff after Democrats demanded that the legislation include provisions to extend tax credits under the Affordable Care Act, which would keep health insurance costs low for millions of Americans. The legislation passed without those subsidies, only a promise between both parties that a vote would be held on the matter later. The bill now goes to the House.
