*At a NewsNation town hall on Wednesday, ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith abruptly walked off stage after an audience member shared the personal impact of the ongoing government shutdown. The event, hosted by Chris Cuomo, included Smith, Bill O’Reilly, and several lawmakers discussing how the political deadlock has affected federal employees, the New York Post reports.
Audience member Jack Criss Jr., an air traffic controller with the Federal Aviation Administration, spoke about his struggles. “I’m an air traffic controller for the Federal Aviation Administration. I’ve been there for 16 years. I’ve also been through the Obama shutdown and the Trump shutdown in the previous…” he said before asking about the current situation.
“My question is, under the current political climate, do you think this shutdown could actually be longer than the previous shutdown?… I am actually driving DoorDash when I got off from work just to make sure I can pay for my daughter’s tuition,” Criss continued. His words drew a strong emotional reaction from Smith.
THIS is why so many Americans are pissed off. @NewsNation pic.twitter.com/7gsispxVT8
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) October 16, 2025
Scroll to continue reading
“I don’t think Washington understands how ticked off we truly are. … A young man walked up to the microphone and said that he had to leave here to go and work on DoorDash to help pay for his daughter’s tuition. Meanwhile, everybody up here is getting paid, but he ain’t,” Smith said passionately.
“This is why you have so many Americans so pissed off at Washington,” he continued, criticizing the government over the national debt exceeding $37.8 trillion. “We all look at our check and it’s been going to the government, and somehow, some way you’re supposed to be doing something constructive and productive enough to make sure that we don’t have that kind of deficit.”
Moments later, Smith said, “You know what, I’m gonna take a break,” before leaving the stage at The Kennedy Center to applause from the audience. The two-hour town hall centered on the widespread effects of the shutdown.
Since the closure began on October 1, air traffic controllers and TSA employees have gone without pay, causing staff shortages at major airports. The financial strain on hundreds of thousands of federal workers has increased pressure on both parties to reach a resolution.
As of Friday, Oct. 17, the partial government shutdown has reached its 17th day, making it one of the longest in U.S. history after Congress failed to approve a new budget. In the past half-century, every president except George W. Bush and Joe Biden has experienced at least one shutdown lasting several days. Presidents Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, and Barack Obama each saw shutdowns extend beyond two weeks.
This current stalemate now matches the 2013 shutdown under Obama—also 17 days long—triggered by Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Overall, the federal government has shut down 21 times since 1977, with the most recent prior to this one occurring from December 2018 to January 2019.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Australia’s High Court Blocks Candace Owens’ Entry, Citing Risk of Social Discord
Sign up for our Free daily newsletter HERE.
