BANDITS STRIKE CHURCH IN KWARA: WORSHIPPERS ABDUCTED IN SHOCKING ATTACK. (PHOTO).
The Senate unanimously approved a measure Thursday aimed at ending the special airport screening privileges that allow members of Congress to skip or speed through TSA checkpoints.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) introduced the proposal to require lawmakers to wait in the same security lines as the general public, highlighting the long waits during the ongoing 35-day Department of Homeland Security shutdown. Houston’s Hobby Airport has been particularly affected, with travelers reporting three- to four-hour waits to get through TSA. The shortage of agents due to the shutdown has contributed to delays nationwide.
Cornyn criticized Democratic lawmakers on the Senate floor, saying the legislation ensures all members of Congress experience the same security lines. “Airports around the country allow members of Congress to bypass the usual TSA screening process,” he said. “This should end today.”
The proposal would prohibit TSA from using funds to provide expedited passage through security checkpoints for lawmakers. No senators objected when Cornyn requested that the measure be passed by unanimous consent. If the House approves the bill and the president signs it, the change would remain in effect even after the DHS reopens.
The measure comes amid continued political battles over DHS funding. Democrats have repeatedly pushed to fund TSA and other critical agencies while excluding ICE and Border Patrol to push immigration reforms, but Republicans have blocked those proposals, insisting that immigration enforcement agencies remain fully funded.
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