One of its most visible effects can be seen right at Denver International Airport, where essential federal workers are still expected to show up for work, without pay. A spokesperson for DIA confirmed those workers are going unpaid in this year's shutdown. “TSA and FAA Air Traffic Control staff are required to continue working unpaid during a federal shutdown. That being said, we cannot guarantee that TSA and FAA staffing would not be affected,” the airport wrote. During the last government shutdown in 2018, which lasted for 35 days, some TSA agents and air traffic controllers called out sick over not getting paid.