Delta backs Republicans’ push for clean funding bill to reopen government

Delta Air Lines is backing Republicans’ push for passage of a “clean” continuing resolution to bring an end to the 30-day federal government shutdown.

The Atlanta-based airline becomes one of the more prominent companies to push for the reopening of the government, putting pressure on Democrats who have held out for a deal on health care funding.

Airlines have been taking a hit from the shutdown, which has caused shortages of air traffic controllers in places around the country, causing flight delays. Short-staffing has also occurred at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints, resulting in long wait times that cause some passengers to miss flights.

“Delta Air Lines implores Congress to immediately pass a clean continuing resolution to reopen the government so that our air traffic controllers, TSA and (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) officers charged with the safety and efficiency of our national airspace can collect the paychecks they deserve,” Delta said in its written statement.

Air traffic controllers, TSA officers and many other federal employees have been working for no pay for the last month through the shutdown. They received a partial paycheck more than two weeks ago and received a zero dollar paycheck this week.

“Missed paychecks only increases the stress on these essential workers, many of whom are already working mandatory overtime to keep our skies safe and secure,” Delta said in its statement. “It’s thanks to these federal employees that Delta is able to carry more than 500,000 daily customers on 5,000 daily flights. A system under stress must be slowed down, reducing efficiency and causing delays for the millions of people who take to the skies every day.”

A spokeswoman for Georgia U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock said in a written statement that Warnock “believes air traffic controllers and TSA agents who are being forced to work during a government shutdown deserve pay. That’s why he broke with his own party to support legislation to pay these critical workers.”

“Senator Warnock is in Washington every week working to reopen the government and avoid a catastrophic health care cliff,” the statement said.

Delta has been providing its own employees at airports, including Atlanta, to supplement staffing at TSA checkpoints. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International is Delta’s biggest hub and the world’s busiest airport.

Delta said its corporate employees have also been volunteering in recent days to help at the check-in lobby at Hartsfield-Jackson. And it has arranged for meals for some workers affected by the shutdown.

Delta said it remains in contact with the Federal Aviation Administration and would delay or cancel flights if necessary to ensure safety.

The airline had to shut down its dedicated TSA screening lanes for Delta business class customers at Los Angeles International and New York’s John F. Kennedy International.

The American Federation of Government Employees, the union that represents many federal employees, also called for passage of a clean continuing resolution this week.

And a coalition of business lobbying groups including airline industry group Airlines for America, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Business Roundtable and National Association of Manufacturers also this week made a similar push.

“We urge Congress to swiftly pass a clean continuing resolution to reopen the federal government,” their statement said. “Immediately reopening the government would avert further economic disruption and give Congress and the Administration time to negotiate a longer-term funding package and address other pressing issues.”

Vice President JD Vance held a roundtable with aviation industry CEOs Thursday, saying afterward that he wanted to “hear from people about the stresses of the aviation industry in light of the fact of the shutdown.”

Delta CEO Ed Bastian was not able to attend the roundtable with Vance because he has been in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, according to a Delta spokeswoman. Bastian spoke at the Fortune Global Forum in Riyadh, where he also discussed plans for a new Atlanta-Riyadh route.