Delta Air Lines is temporarily pulling back some special perks meant to ease travel for members of Congress amid the ongoing partial government shutdown.

The Atlanta-based airline, which runs its second-largest U.S. hub from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, said Tuesday that it would suspend some of its tailored services for congress members like airport escorts and assistance from its elite “Red Coats” team. However, the airline is keeping open the Capital Desk, a special reservation line that helps elected U.S. officials book travel.

“Due to the impact on resources from the longstanding government shutdown, Delta will temporarily suspend specialty services to members of Congress flying Delta,” the airline said in a statement. “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.”

It is unclear how disruptive the changes will be for traveling members of Congress, many of whom regularly fly commercially alongside the general public. Delta declined to elaborate.

The Minnesota Star Tribune contacted the state’s congressional delegation for this story, but none provided comment as of early Wednesday afternoon.

With the U.S. military waging war in Iran, Congress has been unable to get a majority of members to vote in favor of fully funding the Department of Homeland Security. Most employees of the behemoth agency are still getting regular paychecks, but Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) officers are being forced to show up for work in airport security without that guarantee, months after seeing their paychecks zeroed out during the last government shutdown.

Washington, D.C.’s current stalemate is tied to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement agenda. Democrats want reforms at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency whose tactics in Minnesota attracted national scrutiny, while Republicans want Homeland Security’s funding restored without compromise.

MSP has been spared consistently long wait times seen recently at other airports with severe TSA staffing problems, like Atlanta, New Orleans and Houston. But MSP’s officers, like those checking bags for weapons and bombs, are still feeling the burn of missed pay.

Canned food drives and other assistance is being organized at airports around the country, including at MSP.

Meantime, major airline executives including those at Delta, United Airlines, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines are pressuring Congress to end the shutdown and — in the longer term — enact new laws to effectively put TSA pay on autopilot. Ten airline industry executives signed an open letter to Congress last week calling for swift resolution.

During an interview on CNBC last week, Delta CEO Ed Bastian said long airport lines — seen most prominently in the south — are causing operational challenges like passengers missing their flights because of lengthy delays.

“It’s inexcusable that our security agents, our frontline agents, that are essential to what we do, are not getting paid. And it’s ridiculous to see them being used as political chips,” Bastian said.

For now, Delta appears to be alone among major airlines in withholding special perks from Congress during the shutdown.

Representatives from United and American declined to comment. A Southwest spokesperson reiterated the airline’s desire for Congress to restore funding to the affected federal employees.

Minnesota-based Sun Country Airlines, the Twin Cities’ most traveled leisure carrier, does not offer special perks for Congress members, a company spokesperson said. The airline does not fly to Ronald Reagan International Airport, though occasionally sees elected officials onboard.

Many major airlines extend arrangements to members of Congress offering accommodations above what the general public gets, said Clint Henderson, a travel expert with The Points Guy website. But it’s a bit of a mystery to most people what these services look like from the inside, he said.

“They’re very shady about just how prevalent this is at the airlines,” Henderson said.

Henderson said Delta’s decision is a “good burst of PR.” But he noted the airline is also openly admitting it treats members of Congress differently than the rest of the flying public on a normal day — a sore spot for consumer advocates.

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Tim Harlow of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this report.

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