HANOVER TWP., LEHIGH COUNTY, Pa. — Lehigh Valley residents can support federal workers based at the local airport — who are going unpaid amid the government shutdown — by bringing food, toiletries and other items to a donation drive today.
Lehigh Valley International Airport and Lehigh Northampton Airport Authority are holding the drive until 4:30 p.m. at LVIA’s departures level.
The airport is at 3311 Airport Road.
Suggested donations include non-perishable food and beverages, toiletries, paper products, diapers and other baby products. No cash, gift cards or clothing will be accepted.
The goal of the drive is to collect enough donations to fill up one of the airport’s buses, which is stationed at the drop-off site.
The airport held a similar event during the 2018-19 government shutdown.
The current 35-day shutdown began Oct. 1 and is tied for the longest government shutdown in history.
Health care sits at the center of the political debate.
Democrats say they won’t vote to fund the government until Republicans agree to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies that make marketplace health insurance plans more affordable, according to POLITICO.
Republicans are split on whether to fund the subsidies over concerns about government spending.
President Donald Trump has argued Democrats should open the government first before negotiations on health insurance subsidies take place.
'Bridge the gap'
In the meantime, federal workers across the country, including those at LVIA, are working without pay.
At LVIA, federal workers include Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, officers, Customs and Border Protection officers and Federal Aviation Administration administrators and air traffic controllers.
With an unknown end to the government shutdown, I think this will help them bridge the gap."Colin Riccobon, LNAA’s director of public and government relations
Thus far, the workers have gone without at least one paycheck as they continue to complete their essential duties.
“With an unknown end to the government shutdown, I think this will help them bridge the gap,” LNAA Director of Public and Government Relations Colin Riccobon said.
“Anything that we can do to alleviate some of the stress that may be happening in their lives right now is certainly something that we want to do.”
