Cruz told POLITICO that his amendment is about ensuring that political VIPs aren’t endangered as they pass through public spaces in airports.

Cruz told POLITICO that his amendment is about ensuring that political VIPs aren’t endangered as they pass through public spaces in airports.

Viral photos of politicians jetting off to a tropical hideaway during a deadly cold wave might become a lot rarer under legislation being pushed by Sen. Ted Cruz.

The Texas Republican — infamously photographed by a gawker while en route to Cancún in 2021 — is proposing a bill amendment that would offer lawmakers a dedicated security escort at airports, along with expedited screening outside of public view. That could make it much less likely that the politicians’ comings and goings would become fodder for embarrassing news reports and late-night comedy mockery.

The measure would also provide the same special treatment to federal judges and Cabinet members, as well as a limited number of their family and staff. Cruz is trying to attach the amendment to a major aviation policy bill, S. 1939, that is expected to be marked up in the Senate Commerce Committee on Thursday.

  • SpaceCowboy
    126·
    4 months ago

    Unfortunately this is probably needed. Just Ted Cruz is the worst person to propose it given the whole Cancun debacle.

    Imagine if someone like AOC (or whoever is your favourite politician) said the exact same thing? There are a lot of psychos out there and a lot shit on the propaganda egging people on to do crazy shit.

    Swatting politicians (on both sides of the aisle) is becoming commonplace. Harassing elected officials in public is becoming commonplace too. And then there was that guy that broke into Nancy Pelosi’s house and attacked her husband.

    People are more and more thinking that doing an end-run around democracy to remove elected officials by taking matters into their own hands.

    I want Ted Cruz gone, but I want him gone because of a humiliating election loss. Not from some psycho hanging around airports.

    • Modern_medicine_isnt@lemmy.world
      9·
      4 months ago

      My main argument against this is ROI. These people provide no real value to the government. They choose to be on an extreme side in order to get elected. No one wants to harass the moderates. So let them hire thier own security to fly with them.
      Also since the airport is a secured setting, their presence is unpredictable and everyone else needs a ticket, it is safe from targeted interactions with psychos. And mostly safe from unplanned as well.

    • Doubletwist@lemmy.world
      101·
      4 months ago

      So instead of addressing the problems underpinning increased violence, you think the right solution is to have the population pay (via taxes) provide protection to the political elite that most of the population can’t afford to provide for themselves?

    • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
      3·
      4 months ago

      It doesn’t bother me that they are yelled at in public. Half those shits aren’t even elected by us. Did you vote for the Supreme Court? Did you vote for the Federal Reserve chairperson?

      If they are going to break women’s body autonomy and wreck the middle class then maybe they shouldn’t have a nice dinner. Maybe they should face a bit of anger.

    • saintshenanigans@programming.dev
      1·
      4 months ago

      A man much smarter than I once said “violence is the language of the unheard”

      This “solution” is just another con to allow your lawmakers to ignore you in more ways.