As many airports across the U.S. continue to see brutal lines of travelers waiting to clear TSA amid the extended government shutdown, the Senate unanimously passed a proposal to suspend the preferential treatment that allows members of Congress to bypass regular screening at airports.
The bill was put forward by Texas senator John Cornyn who blamed Democrats for not voting on a bill that the Trump administration tied to increased voting restrictions and expanded Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding despite the fact that Republicans have thus far blocked all 11 Democratic proposals to reinstate funding to critical agencies like TSA, FEMA and CISA.
As a result, the government has been partially shut down for 38 days in what is the second extended shutdown during Trump’s second term in the White House.
Delta suspends airport assistance to Congress members after Senate proposal
With many TSA agents calling in sick or leaving work after their first full missed paycheck, airports continue to see sprawling lines while Delta Air Lines has picked up on the passed proposal to suspend special flight assistance for the 535 members of Congress until funding is restored.
The specialized flight assistance that clears Congress members through security is a little-known perk that they receive during their time as lawmakers. Delta’s headquarters at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport (ATL) has been seeing some of the worst traveler delays. George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston has also been seeing lines to clear security of up to four hours.
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“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 representative confirmed on the early reporting. “Next to safety, Delta’s number one priority is taking care of our people and customers, which has become increasingly difficult in the current environment.”
The airline currently advises travelers traveling through the country’s busiest airport to arrive at least four hours before their flight time given “current federal conditions.”
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“Once again air travel is the political football”: Airline CEOs in letter to Congress
Amid the suspension, Congress members will need to clear TSA checkpoints and potentially wait in hours-long lines like other travelers.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian had previously called on Congress to pass the funding bill and reopen the government but continued political fighting and Republicans’ unwillingness to accept any negotiated proposal have extended the shutdown.
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“Once again air travel is the political football amid another government shutdown,” Bastian wrote in a letter to Congress co-signed by the chief executives of 10 biggest U.S. airlines. “This problem is solvable, and there are solutions on the table. Now it’s up to you, Congress, to move forward on bipartisan proposals that will get federal aviation workers— including TSA officers, U.S. Customs clearance officers at airports and air
traffic controllers — paid during shutdowns.”
In a TV appearance on NewsNation on March 23, Deputy TSA Administrator Adam Stahl said that the traveler experience at airports is “going to get worse before it gets better, particularly if we don’t have a resolution within the coming days and weeks.”
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