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.
This makes me uneasy. The Cancun thing makes me want to be opposed to this as well, in a general “Internet wants you to feel things” way.
But these people aren’t idiots. (Sure they victimize and weaponize useful idiots, but they themselves are very clever.) Are they planning to have politicians taken out by useful terrorists, and want to avoid passing of reasonable legislation - so they strategically propose unreasonable legislation to poison the whole idea?
It’s never as simple as a few paragraphs make it sound. I think a wait-and-form-opinions-later approach is a reasonable one.