The federal government shutdown, precipitated by Congress’s inability to reach consensus on a fiscal year 2026 budget, is nearing thirty days. The shutdown has brought some federal government programs to a grinding halt, while other government employees in essential roles continue to work with partial or no pay.

One such worker is Jack Criss, an FAA Air Traffic Controller currently stationed at Andrews Air Force Base. Criss has been receiving only partial pay and is slated to soon miss a full paycheck. To keep his family’s finances afloat, Criss has turned to a part-time job to ensure enough income.

Archon Fung and Stephen Richer were joined on Terms of Engagement by Criss to discuss the real-world impact of the ongoing shutdown.

Jack Criss has been an air traffic controller for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for 16 years and has worked through three government shutdowns. Originally from Dallas, TX, Criss grew up in Section 8 poverty and describes himself as a “started-from-the-bottom person.” He’s a proud single father to a daughter, who’s a straight-A student and a freshman playing varsity sports at a private school in Arlington, VA.

About Terms of Engagement

From rank-choice voting to reconciliation, American democracy is headline news. Let’s talk about it.

Join Harvard Ash Center's Archon Fung and Stephen Richer for a weekly conversation about the latest developments in American politics. Blending perspectives from both the political right and left, Terms of Engagement addresses breaking news, providing insights from research and practice to deliver a unique perspective you won’t hear anywhere else.

Contact Us

Send questions, ideas, and feedback to us at info@ash.harvard.edu.

About the Hosts

Archon Fung is the Winthrop Laflin McCormack Professor of Citizenship and Self-Government at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Director of the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation. His research explores policies, practices, and institutional designs that deepen the quality of democratic governance with a focus on public participation, deliberation, and transparency. He has authored five books, four edited collections, and over fifty articles appearing in professional journals. He received two S.B.s — in philosophy and physics — and his Ph.D. in political science from MIT.

Stephen Richer is the former elected Maricopa County Recorder, responsible for voter registration, early voting administration, and public recordings in Maricopa County, Arizona, the fourth largest county in the United States. Prior to being an elected official, Stephen worked at several public policy think tanks and as a business transactions attorney.  Stephen received his J.D. and M.A. from The University of Chicago and his B.A. from Tulane University.

Stephen has been broadly recognized for his work in elections and American Democracy.  In 2021, the Arizona Republic named Stephen “Arizonan of the Year.”  In 2022, the Maricopa Bar Association awarded Stephen “Public Law Attorney of the Year.”  In 2023, Stephen won “Leader of the Year” from the Arizona Capitol Times.  And in 2024, Time Magazine named Stephen a “Defender of Democracy.”

About the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation

The Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, a research center at Harvard Kennedy School, is Harvard’s hub for the study, discussion, and analysis of democracy. The Ash Center’s mission is to develop ideas and foster practices for equal and inclusive, multi-racial and multi-ethnic democracy and self-government.

Music Credit: Straight to the Point, Music Media Group