A proposal tracing to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) that would have offered legislators special treatment in commercial airports has flopped.
“At 12:30am we got a new deal on FAA bill—which *doesn’t* include Ted Cruz’s amendment to give lawmakers private security escorts through public airports,” Democratic strategist Sawyer Hackett wrote Monday on X (formerly Twitter). Specifically, the Cruz proposal would have allowed for some such individuals (and family members) to avoid the regular processes of security screening at these airports.
Cruz himself previously faced intensive criticism after he was caught trying to travel to Cancún as Texans — his constituents — stared down a massive winter storm. And it sounds like Cruz’s failed initiative could have kept some legislators out of the public eye at airports, potentially helping avert similar confrontations in the future. The special security would’ve extended throughout covered individuals’ airport trips.
Reportedly, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) — the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee in the House — spurred the implosion of the Cruz initiative. Reporting on statements from a source, the Laredo Morning Times added that the move, if actually enacted, “would have also diverted funding from other security measures, giving several lawmakers pause.”
Cruz is up for re-election this year, with his Democratic challenger for November already set: Rep. Colin Allred (Texas). Some polling has shown Cruz and Allred close, though Texas is known for leaning Republican in some elections, particularly races at the state level. Despite once running against him, Cruz has evolved over recent periods of his tenure into effectively a Trump ally, having even helped lead in Congress the ultimately failed push against electoral votes won by Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential race. Congress eventually certified the full results of the election as presented by the states, further setting up Biden’s currently unfolding presidential term.
