On March 18, Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced the “End Special Treatment for Congress at Airports Act.”
It says lawmakers should go through the same TSA lines as everyone else.
No cutting. No special lanes. No VIP treatment.
🚨 BREAKING: Legislation has been filed in the US Senate to BAN members of Congress from receiving special treatment at airports
They’d be FORCED to stand in the lines and go through TSA just like the rest of us.
Great! This is LONG overdue. pic.twitter.com/n6NxWMwuAP
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) March 18, 2026
Same Rules for Everyone
Right now, members of Congress can get expedited screening at airports. That means while regular travelers are stuck in long lines, politicians can move faster.
Cornyn says that’s not right. Especially now.
Because thanks to the ongoing government shutdown, airport security is a mess.
TSA workers have been showing up for work without pay. Not surprisingly, many are calling out or looking for other work.
The result? Long lines. Delays. Frustration.
At major airports like JFK and Atlanta, wait times have stretched past two hours.
And while that’s happening, lawmakers have still been able to skip ahead.
Cornyn’s bill would end that.
What It Means For Nevadans
Las Vegas is one of the busiest tourist cities in the country. Millions of people fly in every year.
When TSA slows down, everything slows down.
That means missed flights. Angry visitors. And fewer people spending money on the Strip, at restaurants, and in local businesses.
That’s bad for business.
And it’s especially frustrating to know politicians are getting special treatment while everyone else is stuck.
A Pattern of Playing by Different Rules
This isn’t the first time Congress has given itself perks.
For years, lawmakers have carved out exemptions from laws that apply to regular Americans.
They were once exempt from parts of the Affordable Care Act. They also had looser rules on insider trading until the STOCK Act passed in 2012.
So when Cornyn talks about “ending special treatment,” he’s tapping into something bigger.
Not Everyone Thinks This Is a Good Idea
Some critics say members of Congress face unique security risks and tight schedules. They argue faster screening helps them do their jobs and stay safe.
Others say the real problem isn’t special treatment. It’s the government shutdown itself.
Fix the shutdown, they argue, and the lines will go back to normal.
A Simple Question of Fairness
At the end of the day, the bill argues that if TSA lines are long, they should be long for everyone.
If travelers have to take off their shoes and wait their turn, so should lawmakers.
Especially when federal workers are struggling and travelers are paying the price for those lawmakers’ decisions.
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