HOUSTON \u2013 For years members of Congress and their staff had special privileges at airports, allowing them to quickly skip TSA screening lines. But as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle grow more impatient, that luxury is gone. <\/p>\n
The U.S. Senate has unanimously passed legislation, authored by Texas Senator John Cornyn, aimed at ending preferential airport screening access for members of Congress, as travelers across the country face long security lines during a partial government shutdown. <\/p>\n
RELATED STORY: Delta suspends airport perks for members of Congress amid government shutdown<\/a><\/p>\n The wait time for TSA lines at Houston\u2019s George Bush Intercontinental Airport soared past four hours on Monday. <\/p>\n The measure would require lawmakers to go through the same Transportation Security Administration screening procedures as the general public and bar the use of federal funds for expedited or preferential access at airport checkpoints.<\/p>\n The bill passed the Senate on March 19 by unanimous consent.<\/p>\n What does the bill do? <\/p>\n The legislation, titled the End Special Treatment for Congress at Airports Act of 2026<\/a>, explicitly prohibits:<\/p>\n Any exemption from TSA passenger or baggage screening<\/p>\n Priority or expedited access to security checkpoints based on a lawmaker\u2019s position<\/p>\n The use of federal funds to provide preferential screening access<\/p>\n The bill does allow members of Congress to use programs available to the public, such as TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, as long as access is not tied to their office.<\/p>\n Why now? <\/p>\n The push comes as TSA staffing shortages during the ongoing partial government shutdown have led to long lines at airports nationwide.<\/p>\n In a statement, Cornyn said many Americans are unaware that lawmakers can bypass standard lines. (Did you know?)<\/p>\n \u201cAs many Americans probably don\u2019t know \u2026 airports around the country allow Members of Congress to bypass the usual TSA security screening process,\u201d Cornyn said<\/a>. \u201cIn other words, they get to skip the line.\u201d<\/p>\n Ending special, privileged security bypass for Congress at airports while TSA aren\u2019t paid and everyone else has to wait in long lines ends today \ud83e\uddf5\u2b07\ufe0f<\/p>\n