US EditionSenate Democrat demands that TSA lift its "shoes-on" policy, calling it a "reckless" safety risk
Duckworth says a classified watchdog audit found scanners cannot effectively screen shoes and that TSA missed a required 90-day corrective deadline.
- On Friday, Sen. Tammy Duckworth demanded that the Transportation Security Administration immediately rescind its "shoes-on" policy, calling it a "reckless act" that may endanger the flying public.
- Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem implemented the "shoes-on" policy in July 2025 to streamline airport security, replacing protocols established after the 2001 "shoe bomber" plot.
- An Inspector General audit using covert "red team" testing found airport scanners cannot effectively detect threats concealed in footwear, concluding the policy "created a new security vulnerability."
- In a letter to acting TSA Administrator Nguyen McNeill, Duckworth cited a rare "Seven-Day Letter" from the OIG, arguing the agency may have violated federal law by missing a 90-day deadline.
- Duckworth wrote that allowing a "potentially catastrophic security deficiency" to persist for seven months "betrays TSA's mission," warning the inaction reflects a "willingness to gamble the American people's security.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Senate Democrat demands that TSA lift its ‘shoes-on’ policy, calling it a safety risk
A key senator is demanding the Transportation Security Administration reverse its decision to let travelers keep their shoes on their feet while passing through airport screening.
‘Reckless’: Sen. Duckworth calls for TSA to scrap shoes-on policy
When you go through airport security these days, you may not have to take off your shoes anymore — but one Democratic senator says that could be a mistake. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., is calling on the TSA to reverse its “shoes-on” policy, arguing it could put travelers at risk. In a letter Friday to acting TSA administrator Nguyen McNeill, obtained by CBS News, Duckworth called the policy a “reckless act” that may be endangering the public.…
Senate Democrat demands that TSA lift its "shoes-on" policy, calling it a "reckless" safety risk
A key senator is demanding the TSA reverse its decision to let travelers keep their shoes on while passing through airport screening, a controversial policy at the center of a classified security warning.
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