VIP service at airports nixed for Congress

Thanks to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown, members of Congress are losing airline perks.

Delta Airlines is suspending the extension of VIP services that elected officials receive when flying with the company, as they work around the DHS shutdown that has impacted airports around the country. Speaking to FOX Business, a company spokesperson revealed that it’s becoming “difficult” to ensure passenger safety the longer the shutdown goes on.

“Due to the impact on resources from the long-standing government shutdown, Delta will temporarily suspend specialty services to members of Congress flying Delta,” they said. “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.”

Among the specialty services are the ability to skip Transportation Security Administration (TSA) lines altogether and to be escorted to their flights by staff members. Now that these perks are gone, elected officials will be treated like average passengers until Democrats and Republicans are able to come to an agreement on funding.

The issues in airports have become so bad that President Donald Trump has sent in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to fill the gap in the interim. The irony there is that the partial shutdown is over ICE tactics as they carry out Trump’s immigration agenda, apprehending and deporting illegal aliens from American cities. However, it appears they are still receiving paychecks, while TSA agents have had to go over a month with no pay for no logical reason. Despite this, Democrats are still refusing to work with Republicans to restore funding to the department and were even accused of being “giddy” at the prospect of ICE deployment to airports.

As BizPac Review previously reported, some Dems view the move as an act of “desperation” on Trump’s part, and anticipate that the fear of being blamed for the shutdown will motivate the White House to give in to their demands.

“NEW: If TRUMP thought dispatching ICE agents to airports would force Dems to blink in the never-ending DHS shutdown standoff, he’s in for a rude awakening,” reported “ABC, WaPo and CNN alum” Rachael Bade. “I checked in with a bunch of Democratic lawmakers and top staffers yesterday. Their response wasn’t just unfazed; at times, it was downright giddy. The way they see it, Trump’s move screams desperation and that the White House fears getting blamed. Their thinking: If the White House is this rattled, Dems can squeeze even harder. Some are even betting Republicans will cave as soon as this week.”

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Sierra Marlee

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