The U.S. Senate this week passed a bill that would prohibit members of Congress from bypassing standard airport security screenings at commercial airports.
The vote comes nearly a month into a partial government shutdown that has left Transportation Security Administration employees without pay. The shutdown has contributed to longer security lines due to higher rates of employee call-offs.
The End Special Treatment for Congress at Airports Act passed by unanimous consent and now heads to the House for consideration.
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The bill would also ban members of Congress from using federal funds to pay for expedited security screenings. While lawmakers can have travel between Washington and their home districts paid for by the government, they would be responsible for covering any costs for faster screenings.
The bill also specifies that a lawmaker’s participation in the Trusted Traveler Program would not be based on their congressional status.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, sponsored the measure.
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“As many Americans probably don’t know — but most of us in Washington do — airports around the country allow members of Congress to bypass the usual TSA security screening process at airports nationwide,” Cornyn said. “In other words, they get to skip the line. This should end today.
“Members of Congress are getting an unfair perk. We know trust in Congress is at an all-time low, but today, thank goodness, the Senate has taken an important step toward restoring the trust of the people we are here to represent.”
