Senator Duckworth Warns of Airport Security Hole

0:00It's April 3rd, from coast to coast, this is U.S. News Today, powered by AI, I'm Cory with the story. Senator Tammy Duckworth is pushing federal aviation bosses to flip the script on a new policy letting passengers keep shoes on at airport security. She dropped a letter Friday highlighting fresh OIG tests showing full body scanners, mistreats hidden in footwear, creating a big security hole. This change kicked off in July 2025 under ex-home land security chief, Christie Knowham. The policy rode out without enough team-up from key agencies, sparking alarms inside the Department of Homeland Security's watchdog office. It scraps the old rule-born from the 2001 shoe bomber plot, where a guy tried sneaking explosives in his kicks, leading to mandatory shoe. Removal for years Duckworth, top Democrat on the Senate Aviation Subcommittee, slammed DHS for ignoring an urgent August 2025 warning letter that demanded quick fixes.

1:00Folks are worried this lapse could spill disaster, especially with officials noting a hotter threat level across the U.S. Even after President Trump booted Knowham in March 2026, the no-she removal rule sticks around, with no clear moves from TSA or DHS to. Patch the scanner flaws? Duckworth says letting this vulnerability linger for seven months straight undermines TSA's whole mission, and she's calling for an immediate rollback. Until Independent Checks prove it safe again.