Congress loses a flying perk as DHS shutdown continues : NPR
Delta Airlines announced it is temporarily suspending a specialized services program for members of Congress as the Department of Homeland Security shutdown continues.
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Members of Congress now face a personal consequence of the ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown: the loss of a special flight benefit.
Delta Airlines is suspending special services that make flying more convenient and efficient for members of Congress, as first reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“Due to the resource impact of the extended government shutdown, Delta will temporarily suspend specialty services for Members of Congress flying with Delta,” the airline said in a statement to NPR. “Aside from safety, Delta’s No. 1 priority is taking care of our people and customers, which has become increasingly difficult in today’s environment. »
Specialty services include airport escorts and other red coat services. Delta said lawmakers would be treated like any other passenger based on their SkyMiles status.
This comes a week after Delta CEO Ed Bastian told CNBC he was “outraged” by the ongoing shutdown, which has led to TSA agents working without pay.
“It is inexcusable that our security officers, our frontline officers, who are essential to what we do, are not being paid, and it is ridiculous to see them used as a political bargaining chip,” he said.
The Department of Homeland Security, which includes the TSA, has been partially closed since mid-February.
The shutdown means TSA agents are working without pay and has led to widespread staffing shortages and long wait times for travelers.
Other major airlines have not responded to NPR about the impending changes to their specialty services. A Southwest Airlines spokesperson told NPR that the airline “continues to engage with our federal partners and joins the airline industry in urging Congress to fund TSA and CBP without further delay.”
Ongoing DHS shutdown
Following the killing of two U.S. citizens by immigration enforcement agents in Minneapolis, congressional Democrats said they would not vote to defund DHS until changes, including to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, are in place.
Senate Democrats and the White House have been trading proposals for weeks, without much progress.
Democrats have pushed to fund DHS with carve-outs instead of funding ICE and CBP in order to alleviate TSA’s problems as negotiations continue.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Saturday that Democrats were having “productive conversations” about ICE reforms, but that it was an ongoing process “that should not hinder funding for our TSA workers.”
“Let’s continue to negotiate outstanding issues with ICE while sending paychecks to TSA workers now,” Schumer said. “Let’s end these long lines at the airport now. It’s the logical, timely and correct thing to do.”
Republicans have so far opposed voting on these proposals, insisting on funding the entire department.
Last week, a bill by Sen. John Cornyn of Texas to ban preferential screening at airports for members of Congress was approved by the Senate. This issue has not yet been addressed by the House of Representatives.
