WASHINGTON – Remember that viral photo of US Sen. Ted Cruz jetting off to Cancun during the deadly winter storm in 2021?
If Cruz gets his way, it will be a lot harder to take pictures of politicians at airports.
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The Republican senator from Texas is proposing legislation that would offer members of Congress, some of their family members, federal judges and Cabinet members a dedicated security escort at airports, according to a report on Politico.
Cruz is trying to attach an amendment to a major aviation policy bill, S. 1939, that is expected to be marked up in the Senate Commerce Committee on Thursday, the report said.
There are “serious security threats facing public officials,” Cruz said to Politico. “It’s important that we take reasonable measures to keep everyone safe.”
But the leader of the Airport Law Enforcement Agencies Network, 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.
The idea would also divert police from “crime suppression and security functions at airports, which is our fundamental duty,” said Kevin Murphy, executive director of the nonprofit.
Murphy said any escort duties for political VIPs should be the job of federal law enforcement.
Cruz drew plenty of criticism for his trip to Mexico’s Caribbean coast, which occurred as his Texas constituents were freezing during the winter storm. He later said he regretted the decision to leave for Mexico with his family, saying it was “obviously a mistake.”
After this story was published, Senate Commerce Republican spokesperson, Melissa Braid sent the following statement to KSAT 12 about the proposed legislation:
This language was drafted in a bipartisan manner to address the growing number of serious threats to justices, judges, public officials, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. With rising security incidents at airports, this amendment ensures that—when law enforcement determines that there is a serious threat—reasonable security measures will be taken to keep everybody safe.
- The draft amendment covers only judges, lawmakers, and public officials if there is a threat.
- The amendment standardizes what is currently in place for some public officials and lawmakers (and families). However, now judges, lawmakers (not their families), would only have security if there is a threat.
- There is nothing in the amendment that require the airport or security to “hide” them from public view nor does the amendment prescribe such treatment.