Delta Air Lines Suspends Special Services for Members of Congress Amid DHS Shutdown

Delta Air Lines is suspending the special services it provides members of Congress amid the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, according to a new report. The air carrier says resources are stretched too thinly to offer lawmakers these privileges. The department shut down more than a month ago, and with TSA agents and other government officials not receiving their paychecks, many are calling out of work to pursue other, temporary opportunities in order to make ends meet.Now, members of Congress will personally feel the pain afflicting ordinary Americans because of the shutdown.Members of Congress have long enjoyed special treatment thanks to TSA agents, other airport officials, and the airlines themselves. At multiple airports across the country, TSA agents offer select security screenings so lawmakers can make their way to their gates more quickly, while airport security officials also offer escorts through the buildings. The suspension of what is called Delta’s special “congressional desk services” was first reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the hometown paper for the airline’s headquarters. “Due to the impact on resources from the longstanding government shutdown, Delta will temporarily suspend specialty services to members of Congress flying Delta,” the airline told the AJC. “Next to safety, Delta’s No. 1 priority is taking care of our people and customers, which has become increasinglydifficult in the current environment.”Atlanta has been especially hard-hit by the DHS shutdown, with total callout rates reportedly reaching 40 percent as of Monday. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the busiest in the nation by far, with more than 52 million individuals boarding planes there in 2024 alone, according to the FAA. The second-busiest that year was the Dallas-Forth Worth airport, which boarded 42 million passengers in 2024. Senator John Cornyn, who is known for eschewing those privileges by carrying his own bags and going through the regular TSA line, has introduced legislation to ban these kinds of privileges for federal lawmakers. “Nobody should be above the rules and regulations imposed on the American people, and a Member pin on your lapel should not give you carte blanche to skip airport screening lines while everyday Americans are forced to patiently wait their turn,” Mr. Cornyn said in a statement on March 18 when he introduced the bill. Delta Air Lines’ leadership has lambasted members of Congress for refusing to fund DHS over the course of the last month. On March 15, Delta’s chief executive and nine other airline executives penned a letter to lawmakers telling them to pass a funding bill. “With spring break travel in full swing, FIFA World Cup 2026 right around the corner and celebrations for America’s 250th birthday throughout the year, the stakes are especially high. U.S. airlines expect 171 million passengers this spring season, a new record,” the airline executives wrote. “But too many travelers are having to wait in extraordinarily long — and painfully slow — lines at checkpoints.” They also called on Congress to pass a bill which would mandate that all TSA agents receive paychecks during future government shutdowns, which they say would help avoid this chaos going forward. As TSA lines grow longer and federal employees set to miss another paycheck this coming Friday, there is new urgency for members of Congress to fund the department. On Monday night, Republican senators said they had reached an agreement with President Trump which would reopen all of DHS except for ICE. He had threatened to veto the bill if his SAVE America Act was not attached to it, though senators say they have promised him they will pursue it in the future through a different legislative process.

Delta Air Lines Suspends Special Services for Members of Congress Amid DHS Shutdown

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