S 4123 United States Senate · 119th Congress

End Special Treatment for Congress at Airports Act of 2026

This bill prohibits Members of Congress from receiving expedited or preferential access to airport security screenings based on their official positions. It requires the Transportation Security Administration to use standard security procedures for all travelers, including lawmakers, and bars the use of federal funds to facilitate special treatment. While Members of Congress can still participate in publicly available Trusted Traveler Programs, their eligibility cannot depend on their congressional status. The bill also mandates that the TSA update its policies to comply with these rules and submit a compliance report to Congress within 180 days of enactment.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Mar 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Mar 2026

House Passage

President

Introduced Mar 17, 2026 Last action Mar 24, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced in Senate → Engrossed in Senate · 2 edits · Mar 19, 2026

MINOR

The Engrossed version significantly expands the definition of Trusted Traveler Program from a single CBP-focused description to an enumerated list including Global Entry, PreCheck, SENTRI, NEXUS, and catch-all categories for other TSA-accepted programs. It also strengthens the prohibition on Members of Congress receiving expedited screening by changing 'may not' to 'shall not' and clarifying that they cannot be exempt from passenger and baggage screening procedures.

DEFINITION

The definition of Trusted Traveler Program was expanded from a single description limited to CBP expediting arrival clearance for pre-approved travelers into an enumerated list naming Global Entry, PreCheck, SENTRI, NEXUS, plus two catch-all provisions covering any TSA-accepted known traveler number program and any program under section 109(a)(3) of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act. This broadens the scope to include domestic programs like PreCheck and future programs.

REQUIREMENT

The prohibition on Members of Congress receiving preferential screening was strengthened from 'may not' to 'shall not,' making it a mandatory prohibition rather than permissive language. The first subclause was also changed from 'bypass standard screening procedures' to 'be exempt from Federal passenger and baggage screening procedures,' which is broader in that it covers any form of exemption, not just bypassing.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 19, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent. (text: CR S1356)

upper

Mar 19, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.

upper

Mar 19, 2026

Upper · Passed

Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation discharged by Unanimous Consent.

upper

Mar 17, 2026

Committee

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

upper

Mar 17, 2026

Introduced

Introduced in Senate

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors