Congress is scrambling to reach an agreement on spending before Saturday

Johnny Jones, a Transportation Security Administration official and union representative at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, fears a government shutdown could have financial consequences for his family and rank-and-file members.

“They would have to go to work every day without pay, and they don’t know how long that will last,” said Jones, who lives in Fort Worth with his wife and children. “It’s an embarrassment.”

TSA employees are considered essential workers, meaning they must keep their jobs in the event of a federal government shutdown. But their paychecks would be frozen, dealing a financial blow to workers at the height of the holiday travel rush.

“The majority of our common people move from paycheck to paycheck. But it’s the holidays, so these people have already spent their savings buying Christmas gifts,” Jones said. “The politicians will be the real Grinches here.”

Jones, 46, said some of his union members are already talking about returning or pawning Christmas gifts so they have more liquid assets to weather the shutdown. He is considering liquidating “some assets” in his home, including his car and his children’s video game consoles.