Delta suspends VIP travel perks for Congress members amid budget feud — warns safety is ‘increasingly difficult.’ Should other airlines follow suit?

Acting TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill told the House Homeland Security Committee on March 25 that airports are experiencing "the highest wait times in TSA history," with some exceeding 4 1/2 hours (6). More than 480 officers have quit since the shutdown began, and callout rates have hit 40% to 50% at the worst-affected airports.

McNeill testified that officers are sleeping in their cars, selling blood and plasma to make ends meet and facing eviction notices — all while dealing with a 500% increase in assaults on the job. TSA agents are set to miss their second full paycheck on March 27, and the agency has collectively lost nearly $1 billion in unpaid wages across the current shutdown and the 43-day funding lapse last fall.

At Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport, posted wait times have hit 150 minutes with fewer than half of security lanes open — absorbing 100% of spring break passenger volume (7). Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson, the world's busiest airport, has told travelers to arrive at least 4 hours early (8). And the MyTSA app and website? Both offline due to the shutdown (9).

Are other airlines following Delta's lead?

For now, Delta stands alone. United Airlines told CNBC it doesn't "have any changes to announce today." American Airlines, JetBlue and Southwest haven't yet responded publicly.

Leaders of six major passenger airlines and three cargo carriers — along with the president of Airlines for America — co-signed an open letter to Congress urging bipartisan action to pay TSA agents. But travel expert Clint Henderson of The Points Guy told The Minnesota Star Tribune that Delta's move amounts to a "good burst of PR" and an open admission that these VIP perks existed at all — something most of the flying public had no idea about (10).

What's next — and why it could get worse

Late on March 26, Trump announced on Truth Social that he would sign an executive order directing newly confirmed DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to "immediately pay our TSA Agents" to address what he called an "Emergency Situation" (11). He did not specify what legal authority he intends to use — TSA pay requires congressional appropriations, and it's unclear whether an executive order can bypass that process.

The announcement came after a seventh Senate cloture vote on a Republican proposal to fund DHS — excluding ICE's enforcement and removal operations — failed earlier that day, with only Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) crossing party lines (5). Senate Majority Leader John Thune called it a "last and final offer," while Democrats said it didn't go far enough in reining in ICE. Trump also posted multiple calls for Senate Republicans to eliminate the filibuster (11).

Earlier in the week, the White House had rejected an offer from Elon Musk to personally pay TSA workers, saying his federal government contracts created legal problems (12).