- Delta Airlines has temporarily cut perks for Congress members amid the partial government shutdown
- Delta CEO Ed Bastian recently joined several other aviation CEOs in writing an open letter to Congress asking for payment for their government employees
- Hundreds of TSA employees have quit their jobs, while as many as 50,000 workers have gone without pay since mid-February
Delta Airlines has suspended some services for members of Congress amid the partial government shutdown, which has seen Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees working without pay since mid-February.
“Due to the impact on resources from the longstanding government shutdown, Delta will temporarily suspend specialty services to members of Congress flying Delta,” a Delta Airlines spokesperson told PEOPLE on Tuesday, March 24.
“Next to safety, Delta’s no. 1 priority is taking care of our people and customers, which has become increasingly difficult in the current environment,” the statement concluded.
According to the spokesperson, Delta will also temporarily suspend its Red Coat services and airport escorts.
The Capitol Desk, a reservations line used by congressional staffers to book travel, will remain open. Members of Congress will be treated as any other customer, based on their respective SkyMiles status.
Many TSA employees have not received a paycheck since Feb. 14, when funding for the Department of Homeland Security lapsed. DHS said on Saturday, March 21, that over 400 TSA employees have quit since the partial government shutdown began, NBC News reports. Lauren Bis, acting assistant secretary for public affairs at DHS, told reporters there is a national callout rate of 10% among TSA employees.
Amid the partial government shutdown, there have been massive delays at airports across the country, leading officials to say some airports may need to fully shutdown as customers can not be accommodated.
“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,” Delta CEO Ed Bastian and nine other aviation CEOs wrote in an open letter to Congress dated March 15.
The aviation CEOs called on Congress to reach an agreement to fund the DHS.
“It’s past time for the government to make sure that TSA officers, U.S. Customs clearance officers at airports and air traffic controllers are paid for the job they do,” the open letter reads. “In these times when it’s hard to reach consensus on just about anything, it is significant that the vast majority of Americans want Congress to pay federal aviation workers, keep our National Airspace System secure and ensure travelers and packages can get to their destinations safely.”
On Sunday, March 22, President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that ICE agents “will be going to airports to help” TSA employees amid staffing shortages caused by the partial shutdown. The agents began arriving at airports on the following Monday, March 23.
“This is about going [and] helping TSA do their mission, and get the American public through that airport as quick as they can, while adhering to all the security guidelines and the protocols,” border czar Tom Homan told CNN of the deployment.
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The president, 79, has been vocal about placing blame for the shutdown on Democratic leaders, such as in a March 21 Truth Social post, claiming “Radical Left Democrats have hurt so many people with their vicious and uncaring ways.”
Democrats have pushed for reforms at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which are both under DHS. They rejected the most recent idea from Senate Republicans, which would fund most of DHS and would partially fund ICE.
“We have to rein in ICE and stop the violence,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters, according to The Hill. “We need reform.”
Credits: Delta Airlines
