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Delta revokes major travel perk for Congress amid ongoing DHS shutdown
Delta Air Lines is apparently pressuring members of Congress to restore funding to Transportation Security Administration agents amid the ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown.
The decision by Democratic lawmakers to withhold funding for DHS has resulted in lengthy airport security lines, particularly in Atlanta, which is home to Delta's headquarters. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, one of the world's busiest airports, has advised air travelers to arrive at least four hours before their scheduled flights.
'It's ridiculous to see them being used as political chips.'
Meanwhile, the callout rate for the airport's TSA agents reached 41.5% on Sunday, according to the DHS.
TSA agents have not received their full paychecks since Feb. 14. They received partial paychecks on Feb. 28, missed their next pay period on March 13, and are set to miss their second full paychecks on March 27.
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian called the situation "inexcusable" during a March 17 interview with CNBC.
"It's inexcusable that our security agents, our frontline agents, that are central to what we do, are not being paid. And it's ridiculous to see them being used as political chips," Bastian stated. "So yeah, we're outraged."
"If there's a call to action here, and I think over 90% of the American public support those people getting paid, ask our folks right here in Washington to do their job. Get our people paid. They can do it," Bastian added.
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Delta appears to be pressuring Congress members to act by suspending a special benefit typically granted to them.
The airline announced that it has halted its dedicated flight assistance service for Capitol Hill legislators, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported.
"Due to the impact on resources from the longstanding government shutdown, Delta will temporarily suspend specialty services to members of Congress flying Delta," a statement from the company reads, according to the AJC. "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."
Members of Congress will be treated like all Delta travelers, according to their SkyMiles status, a spokesperson told the news outlet.
RELATED: 'Absolute insanity': Democrats' DHS shutdown has travelers lining up outside Atlanta airport
Last week, Bastian joined nine other aviation CEOs in an open letter to Congress, stressing the importance of paying TSA agents. Leaders of American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines also signed the letter.
"Americans — who live in your districts and home states — are tired of long lines at airports, travel delays and flight cancellations caused by shutdown after shutdown," the letter reads. "Yet, once again air travel is the political football amid another government shutdown."
"First, leaders should immediately come together to reach an agreement to fund the Department of Homeland Security," it continues. "Then they need to act so this problem never happens again."
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'Absolute insanity': Democrats' DHS shutdown has travelers lining up outside Atlanta airport
More than willing to hold Americans' ease of travel hostage, Sen. Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) and his Democratic allies in the U.S. Senate initiated a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security last month, conditioning the passage of the FY2026 DHS appropriations bill on restrictions to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection operations.
This Democratic denial of funding that has survived over four votes on theme has manifested in long lines and headaches at airports across the country — especially at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, which urged travelers on Monday morning to "arrive at least 4 hours early" on account of Transportation Security Administration staffing constraints and the correlated "longer than normal wait times at security checkpoints."
'We thought we would be safe enough.'
While advising passengers to allow at least four hours for security screenings, the airport presently recommends budgeting additional time for checked baggage.
According to the airport traffic rankings released last year by Airports Council International, Hartsfield-Jackson was the busiest in North America, boasting over 108 million passengers and 796,224 aircraft movements in 2024.
On Sunday, only four of the 18 TSA screening lanes were open at America's busiest airport, reported CNN. The general boarding line was reportedly backed up past the atrium, wrapped around the baggage claim, and jutting out the door at the drop-off area.
The frustration and uncertainty were apparently too much for some would-be travelers to bear. Police reportedly had to escort one woman out after she suffered an apparent panic attack.
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"We thought we would be safe enough but ... it's just insane," Oliver Wanner from Minnesota told CNN. Wanner arrived at the airport at 4 a.m. ET for a 7:30 a.m. flight — but still ended up trapped in the line.
Aaron David, a traveler who was attempting to collect his bags on Sunday, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the experience was "absolute insanity and chaos."
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens (D) announced on Sunday that help from Homeland Security Investigations and ICE was on the way, starting Monday morning.
The announcement came just days after President Donald Trump stated, "If the Democrats do not allow for Just and Proper Security at our Airports, and elsewhere throughout our Country, ICE will do the job far better than ever done before!"
"According to federal officials, these personnel will be assigned to support operational needs directed by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), including line management and crowd control within the domestic terminals," said Dickens. "Federal officials have indicated that this deployment is not intended to conduct immigration enforcement activities."
"Our Administration remains hopeful the Federal Government can soon find a way to fully fund TSA and pay their employees to resume standard operations at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport — and all airports we connect to," added Dickens.
To "help ease the burden on TSA officers who continue to serve" despite Democrats pulling TSA funding, the city of Atlanta and the Hartsfield-Jackson airport have been providing TSA officers with meal vouchers, free parking, free public transit passes, and discounted food options at airport concession stands.
Despite the support measures, around 30%-40% of agents have called out in recent days, reported WSB-TV. While some workers are not showing up after going weeks without pay, others have reportedly just quit.
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Democrats' reckless refusal to fund DHS leaves TSA agents struggling without paychecks — again
A partial shutdown of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security entered its third day Monday, leaving thousands of Transportation Security Administration agents and other essential workers without pay as they continue performing critical duties at airports nationwide.
The funding lapse, which began early Saturday, stems from a breakdown in negotiations between congressional Democrats and Republicans over proposed restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.
'This is getting very old, and we’re hoping this is not going to become the new normal.'
Even WPRI in Rhode Island noted Democrats' role in the shutdown: “The Department of Homeland Security officially shut down on Saturday after Democrats refused to fund it. They want new restrictions on ICE agents following the deadly shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis.”
The shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti have intensified tensions surrounding immigration enforcement. Democrats have insisted on new limits on DHS funding, while Republicans have accused them of holding up critical funding to secure policy concessions.
RELATED: Government shutdown looms after Democrats tank key DHS vote
TSA screeners, deemed essential personnel, are required to report for duty despite the funding lapse.
Reporting from T.F. Green International Airport in Rhode Island, WPRI’s Sophia Szabo said TSA agents are still recovering from a 43-day government shutdown last year.
“That’s a long time to work without a paycheck,” Szabo said, noting lawmakers have roughly two weeks to reach a deal before another missed pay period.
The impact on workers is mounting.
“This is getting very old, and we’re hoping this is not going to become the new normal, but it does seem that it’s going in that direction,” a union representative for TSA agents in New England said. “A lot of the officers are very anxious because we’re in the middle of winter, and now we’re going to have to choose between paying for heat and paying for food and rent if the checks don’t come through in the next couple of weeks. Because in two weeks, in the next pay period, we’re only going to have half a check, and so choices are going to have to be made — and we shouldn’t be put in this position again.”
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Szabo added that staffing shortages have worsened since the previous shutdown.
“According to a union representing TSA agents across New England, there has been a significant shortage of these agents since that last shutdown, and they’re already struggling to recruit more,” she reported.
The shutdown affects agencies within DHS, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Coast Guard, and the Secret Service.
Congress is currently in recess until Feb. 23, leaving a narrow window to resolve the impasse before broader operational impacts emerge.
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'Make travel family friendly again': Trump admin launches $1B effort to improve airport experience
The Trump administration's Departments of Transportation and Health and Human Services are teaming up to launch a new effort to "make travel family friendly again" by providing more family-friendly resources and healthier food options at America's airports.
On Monday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. held a press conference at Reagan National Airport to announce a new family-friendly travel campaign that will allocate $1 billion in grant funding to airports to improve the travel experience.
'I can tell you that this is where healthy diets go to die.'
Duffy provided a few examples of how the funds could be used, such as play areas for children, nursing pods for breastfeeding mothers, workout spaces, and separate security lanes for families. He noted that the funds could be used for a range of investments and that the department was open to other improvement suggestions.
"It's pretty wide open on what airports want to ask for a grant," Duffy stated.
He stated that he has also reached out to the airlines to encourage them to consider how they could improve the travel experience.
As part of the new campaign, Duffy and Kennedy are advocating for healthy food options at the nation's airports.
"I ... typically over the past 30 years, probably average 250 days a year in airports. And I can tell you that this is where healthy diets go to die," Kennedy said. "It's deep-fried food; it's sugar bombs; it's ultra-processed foods. And all of them are gonna leave you sicker than before you ate them."
During Monday's press conference, Duffy and Kennedy highlighted Farmer's Fridge, a company that operates vending machines offering salads, sandwiches, bowls, and oats. Luke Saunders, the CEO of Farmer's Fridge, who also attended the press conference, explained that he founded the company 12 years ago and that it now operates vending machines in over 30 U.S. airports.
"If you want to reach out to your airport authority and encourage them to participate in this money, please do that," Duffy said.
Duffy noted that last week the department hired an integrator who will help convert the nation’s air travel technology from analog to digital.
In November, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that the Transportation Security Administration would roll out new security screening lanes at select airports for families with small children, as well as for veterans and active-duty military.
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Controversy erupts after Muslim cleric denies Christian pastor access to DFW airport chapel
A well-known Christian pastor was physically blocked from entering an airport chapel last week.
Tom Ascol, the president of Founders Ministries, was returning home after visiting the family of Voddie Baucham Jr., a popular American pastor who recently passed away.
'Beyond the entry were two stalls with water faucets for ablution.'
While awaiting his flight home at the Dallas-Forth Worth airport, Ascol said he heard a public address across the airport that Terminal D was offering a prayer service and that "all are welcome."
With very minimal expectations, Ascol proceeded in hopes that "someone might read Scripture during the service."
Upon his arrival, the pastor found the "interfaith chaplaincy" to be completely ensconced in Islamic tradition.
— (@)
"My departure gate was near there, so I walked over and saw the entry lined with Muslim prayer mats," Ascol told Rikki Ratliff-Fellman, executive producer for Glenn Beck.
"Beyond the entry were two stalls with water faucets for ablution. They had signs saying that the stalls were not to be used for showers. The main room had several men kneeling on mats, with a Muslim imam in the far corner and a man praying aloud a Muslim prayer near the door," Ascol explained.
Ascol said he looked through the door and realized that the prayer service the public was invited to was, "in fact, Muslim prayers."
Still, Ascol waited until the audible prayer was finished to try and enter the room and observe. Despite the sign outside the door declaring "all are welcome," the man who was praying out loud allegedly determined he was within his rights to stop Ascol from entering.
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"He quickly came and blocked my entrance as the imam started speaking about the prophet Muhammad," Ascol told Ratliff-Fellman. "He said there was a chair in the back for me but that I must take off my shoes."
Ascol explained that when he tried to step farther toward the door, the man shifted to stand directly in front of him. The pastor said it felt like he was not welcome in the interfaith chapel unless he abided by Islamic rules and "removed his shoes."
"I had no energy to press the issue of the dishonesty of the announcement," Ascol said, adding that he simply took pictures and walked away.
Ratliff-Fellman reached out to DFW Interfaith Chaplaincy, which said it had recently become aware of a "disheartening claim posted on social media that a traveler was allegedly denied entry, or felt unwelcome, during a Muslim prayer service held in one of our airport chapels."
"We take that claim seriously," Reverend Greg McBrayer told Ratliff-Fellman.
The executive director said that those at the chaplaincy "never refuse others from observing any service, or place requirements or restrictions on entering the space during any services."
McBrayer said his group immediately investigated the claims with an unnamed Muslim cleric, who is their "longest-standing chaplain and a person who upholds our shared values of inclusive, shared spaces."
But the director said the cleric was not aware of the incident and that it was not brought to his attention until after the post was made online.
"Our cleric was shocked and saddened at this claim," McBrayer stated.
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The reverend went on, "Had he been made aware of the alleged encounter, he would have made clear that the space is open and available to all people with no restrictions on entry."
McBrayer added that the chapel has been used for five decades, offering various services that are "brief and all inclusive."
"We want our airport community to know that we are shaken by this incident, which would run counter to our core mission, values, and beliefs that all are welcome in our spaces," he noted in his comments.
In his remarks to Ratliff-Fellman, the reverend did not deny the incident, nor was the Muslim cleric named.
Following the events, Ascol said it has only provoked him to pray more diligently.
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Drones shut down airports in NATO countries as suspicion falls on Russia
An unexplained drone incursion shut down the largest airport in Scandinavia on Monday evening, prompting officials to question whether Russia was responsible.
Danish officials reported that a "professional actor" was likely responsible for flying multiple drones over the Copenhagen Airport, causing a four-hour shutdown. Large drones have been spotted at five regional airports in Denmark.
'We have seen drones over Poland that should not have been there. We have seen activity in Romania. We have seen violations of Estonian airspace.'
Monday's incident marks the latest in a series of drone sightings to cause a significant disruption to transportation infrastructure in NATO countries.
"It's definitely not a coincidence. It looks systematic," Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen stated during a Thursday press conference.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the incident "the most serious attack on Danish critical infrastructure to date."
The same evening, a separate drone incident interrupted operations at Norway's Oslo Airport.
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Danish police Chief Superintendent Jens Jespersen stated that it is too soon to say whether the incidents in Denmark and Norway were linked.
While officials have not stated who was responsible for the drone incursions in Denmark, there is speculation that Russia may have been responsible, considering that earlier this month, Poland shot down several Russian drones and Russian fighter jets violated Estonian airspace.
"I cannot rule out that it is Russia," Frederiksen stated. "We have seen drones over Poland that should not have been there. We have seen activity in Romania. We have seen violations of Estonian airspace."
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The Kremlin called the speculation "unfounded."
Moscow's ambassador to Denmark, Vladimir Barbin, claimed that the incident "clearly reflects an attempt to provoke NATO countries into direct military confrontation with Russia."
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that it is "too early to say" who is responsible.
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