Delta Tells Congress To Get Bent, Suspends Perks Amid Partial Government Shutdown

Members of Congress are losing one of the many rackets they get to take part in just because they're elected officials. After getting us into this partial government shutdown mess because of a stalemate over Homeland Security funding that has caused horrendous airport security lines and led to the Trump administration sending ICE to airports around the country, Delta Air Lines has told them to kick rocks with open-toed shoes and suspended its dedicated flight assistance service desk.

Delta's congressional service desk isn't unique — most major airlines operate something similar — and it allows members of Congress to book trips at government rates, make last-minute ticketing changes and even reserve seats on multiple flights on the same day so they can make congressional votes, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Here's what Delta told the AJC:

"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 statement read. "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."

To be fair to Congress (gross thing to say), the Senate did just unanimously approve a proposal that would end the preferential treatment lawmakers receive at airports, according to The Hill. That's right, if you weren't aware, lawmakers are also currently able to just skip the line at security checkpoints. I guess that makes sense, though. Ted Cruz would hate to get stuck waiting in Texas when a natural disaster strikes.

This suspension from Delta follows a flurry of ticked-off comments from CEO Ed Bastian last week. He said TSA agents who were screening passengers at airports are being used as "political chips" in congressional negotiations over DHS funding. I hate to agree with a CEO, but he's definitely not wrong. Here's what else Bastian said:

"It's inexcusable that our security agents, frontline workers central to what we do, are not being paid," Bastian said. "We're outraged. Let's get our people who are essential to our security paid quickly."

In an open letter to Congress that was signed by several airline executives earlier this month, Bastian called for a bipartisan solution that gets federal aviation workers paid, The Hill reports.

"TSA officers just received $0 paychecks. That is simply unacceptable. It's difficult, if not impossible, to put food on the table, put gas in the car and pay rent when you are not getting paid," the CEOs wrote.

Now, Congress is going to have to fly like the rest of us Joe Jerkoffs until it finds a way to fund the TSA, a spokesperson told the Journal-Constitution in less Jalopnik-coded language. All U.S. House and Senate members will now get the same customer service as everyone else, according to SkyMiles status. Congresspeople: they're just like us.