Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) wants dedicated security escorts to be provided for VIP lawmakers at airports as part of a proposed bill amendment revealed Saturday.
Politico reports Cruz’s security screen escort federal judges and Cabinet members, along with some family and staff members. In addition, the amendment would grant lawmakers the ability to be screened without delay outside public view.
The outlet also reported the Texas Republican wants to attach the amendment to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act.
The bill was introduced in the Senate last June and is expected to be debated this week in the Senate Commerce Committee where Cruz is the ranking member.
Asked about the need for his amendment, Cruz told Politico it’s about ensuring political VIPs aren’t endangered as they pass through open public spaces in airports.
File/Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, gestures while arriving at McAllen-Miller International Airport in McAllen, Texas, U.S., on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2019. (Sergio Flores/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The draft says the extra security would be available to those who are currently or have previously “been the subject of a threat.”
There are “serious security threats facing public officials,” Cruz lamented Tuesday. “It’s important that we take reasonable measures to keep everyone safe.”
The Politico report set out the head of a nonprofit representing airport police said Cruz’s proposal would be “a burden to airport police agencies,” especially because federal budgets already do not adequately fund airport police units.
It would also divert police from “crime suppression and security functions at airports, which is our fundamental duty,” Kevin Murphy, executive director of the Airport Law Enforcement Agencies Network, told Politico.