Why It Matters
Delta Air Lines Inc. is lobbying on H.R. 9170, the fiscal year 2027 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, placed on the House Union Calendar on June 5, and awaiting floor consideration. The filing also lists the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) Improvement Act of 2023 (Public Law 118-4) and two Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations measures.
By the Numbers
The in-house third-quarter 2026 filing reports $1,450,000, down $250,000 from the first-quarter 2026 in-house report and up $30,000 from the third-quarter 2025 in-house report. Across all 16 registrants, Delta's third-quarter 2026 total came to $2,280,000, down $40,000 from $2,320,000 in the second quarter of 2026.
The in-house team named on this filing:
- Eric Burgeson, managing director, government affairs; former House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee staff
- Cherie Wilson, vice president, government affairs, sustainability; former Senate and House staff
- Melissa Alvarado, director of government affairs; former Senate Commerce and House Homeland Security Committee staff
- Nick Johnson, senior manager, government affairs; former House Homeland Security Committee staff
- Heather Wingate, senior vice president, government affairs
- Skiffington Holderness, director, government affairs; former Senate Foreign Relations and Small Business Committee staff
- Jana Lozano, director, government policy, with prior government experience and a listed connection to Rep. Solomon Ortiz (D-TX-27)
- Ethan Gallagher, manager, government affairs, with prior government experience linked to Sen. David Perdue (R-GA)
Broader Context
Congress enacted H.R. 6500, Public Law 119-103, as a continuing resolution providing temporary fiscal year 2027 funding, passing the Senate 90–6 and the House 370–48. H.R. 9170, sponsored by Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR-3), was placed on the House Union Calendar on June 5, 2026, and no Senate companion has been identified.
H.R. 4213, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026, is sponsored by Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV-2) and has the status Floor Consideration. H.R. 8646, the FY2027 Agriculture appropriations bill sponsored by Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD-1), passed the House and was received in the Senate.
The House passed H.R. 346, the NOTAM Improvement Act, which sought a modernized federal NOTAM system and a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) task force. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) led a hearing on close calls and runway safety on June 23, citing a Delta go-around at Boston Logan as an example, and said he planned to introduce the Runway SAFE-T Act. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Tammy Baldwin urged the FAA on May 15, 2026, to report on implementing Section 365 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, naming Delta as one of several carriers that reduced flight attendant minimums on dual-aisle aircraft.
Competitive Landscape
More than 40 organizations lobbied H.R. 8646 alongside Delta, including General Mills Inc., the American Lung Association, the National Pork Producers Council, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, and the University of California System.
The Bottom Line
H.R. 9170, the FY2027 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill, has Floor Consideration status and was placed on the House Union Calendar as Calendar No. 598, while Congress has enacted H.R. 6500, Public Law 119-103, a continuing resolution providing temporary fiscal year 2027 funding. Delta's in-house spending has trended down from its first-quarter 2026 peak, while the outside firm roster held steady between the second and third quarters of 2026 with no additions or terminations.
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