Ted Cruz’s proposal to give lawmakers and judges facing threats special airport security escorts is blocked

A proposal to allow lawmakers and judges who face credible threats to obtain special security escorts at airports was held out of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization due to an objection from Representative Bennie Thompson (Miss.), the ranking Democrat on the Chamber of Deputies. Security Committee, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

The provision, supported by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), would have provided security escorts and special screenings for members of Congress, judges and Cabinet members facing what federal law enforcement experts determine are real threats. Covered individuals would not decide their own eligibility.

It would have given lawmakers and judges who face threats the same treatment as senior administration officials, including deputy secretaries, congressional leaders and mayors of large cities who undergo special security checks.

Regardless of whether they have received threats, rank-and-file lawmakers now undergo regular TSA screenings, even if they are more prominent than some of the currently exempt administration employees.

And proponents say it would have minimized the burden on federal law enforcement agencies by not requiring them — but rather the employee — to notify the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) of covered employees’ travel plans.

An official familiar with the negotiations said Thompson blocked the language from being added to the FAA reauthorization after the TSA lobbied against it. The source said congressional leaders and administration officials also opposed expanding the group of federal employees eligible for special escorts.

The source alleged that the TSA routinely exaggerated the scope of the proposed change and actively lobbied against it, claiming it would apply to all members of Congress.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson declined to comment on TSA’s communications to Congress about the project.

Thompson’s team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Cruz’s proposal was added to the FAA reauthorization bill in February, but in March Congress had to approve a clear extension of the FAA’s authority to give lawmakers more time to craft a long-term bill. This extension expires on May 10th.

Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) opposed Cruz’s proposal at the time, saying it could set a “very dangerous precedent for exempting a class of people from security processes that are essential to our national security.”

And in February, Kevin Murphy, executive director of the Airport Law Enforcement Agency Network, told the politician that the proposal would be “a burden on airport law enforcement agencies” and would divert police from “crime suppression and airport security functions, which is our fundamental duty.”

Lawmakers who drafted the proposal did so in a way that would limit special security checks to what Capitol Police said would affect only a small group of senators and House members who face serious threats.

“Right now, there are a lot of faceless, anonymous lieutenant governors and mayors who are going through this specialized screening,” said the official familiar with the behind-the-scenes negotiations on the bill.

“It should be limited to those who face a serious threat, as we seek to do here. The powers that be disagree,” said the source.

The rejected language would have given the TSA the flexibility to revoke a person’s eligibility for special screenings if they or someone in their group was discovered with a prohibited item.