Delta suspends special congressional desk service amid shutdown

Delta Air Lines is suspending its dedicated flight assistance service for members of Congress as airport security lines grow longer amid the ongoing partial government shutdown, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The decision comes days after the Senate unanimously approved a proposal to end the preferential treatment lawmakers receive at airports, including allowing them to skip the line at security checkpoints.

Delta is headquartered in Atlanta, where officials at Hartsfield Jackson International Airport — the world’s busiest airport — have told passengers to allow at least four hours to pass through Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints for domestic and international flights due to “current federal conditions.”

The Hill has reached out to Delta for further comment.

The backlog at airports nationwide has been worsening in recent days, as TSA faces mounting callouts from employees who have gone without pay since funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) lapsed in mid-February.  More than 400 TSA officers have quit the force altogether, according to DHS.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian was one of several airline executives who signed an open letter to Congress earlier this month, calling for a bipartisan solution to ensure federal aviation workers are paid during potential future shutdowns.

“TSA officers just received $0 paychecks. That is simply unacceptable. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to put food on the table, put gas in the car and pay rent when you are not getting paid,” the CEOs wrote.

The staffing shortage has already prompted changes at some airports, such as closing checkpoints at certain terminals. Senior TSA officials have warned that the likelihood of more changes, including a potential pause in operations at smaller airports, increases with each day.

“This is going to get worse before it gets better, particularly if we don’t have a resolution within the coming days and weeks,” Deputy TSA Administrator Adam Stahl said during an appearance on NewsNation last week.

President Trump also announced over the weekend that he was deploying Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to multiple airports across the country to assist TSA operations.

Republicans and Democrats remain deadlocked over DHS funding, with Democrats refusing to support any funding bill that does not include reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Democrats have instead pushed for votes that would split off funding for TSA and other agencies not responsible for immigration enforcement, but Republicans have repeatedly blocked those efforts as they blame their counterparts for the strain on air travel.

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