Delta Says Congress Must Pay for the Shutdown

Delta Air Lines has decided to stop its special congressional desk service until the federal shutdown ends. The service had let lawmakers and staff book flights at lower prices, secure same‑day tickets for votes, and change itineraries quickly. Delta said the priority now is safety and customer care, which has become harder to manage while Congress sits on its feet. The decision comes as the government shutdown has left many TSA officers unpaid for weeks. In some airports, like Houston, more than forty percent of security staff were absent, pushing wait times for travelers over an hour and a half. About four hundred TSA workers have quit and thousands more have missed work since the partial shutdown began on February 14.Delta’s chief executive, Ed Bastian, has warned that the lack of pay forces airport workers to resort to extreme measures—sleeping in cars, selling blood or skipping meals—to make ends meet. He has written to Congress about the hardship faced by these employees. The shutdown’s duration is tied to political negotiations. President Trump has blocked Democrats from agreeing on a deal that would reopen the Department of Homeland Security and pay TSA workers. Senator John Kennedy suggested an alternative plan to fund DHS separately, but Trump declined the proposal, saying no deals with Democrats were allowed. Kennedy said the plan could have paid TSA by week’s end. Trump has blamed the shutdown on Democrats and sent Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to airports to help staff. He posted a strongly worded message on Truth Social, calling the opposition “lunatics” and insisting they must pay a price for the country’s future.