In a rare show of bipartisan support, three congressmen are pushing for the TSA to check passengers' temperatures before takeoff.
The pilot program, supported by Rep. Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) and Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.), would require agents to screen all fliers as they go through security.
"We want to make sure that people, if they know they're going to be checked, that they stay home if they're not feeling well," Budd told Cheddar on Tuesday. "We want to increase the confidence of travelers so that we can reopen our economy. So we think it's just common sense. It makes people feel safe and it keeps them healthy."
The TSA has pushed back against the idea in the past. TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in June that temperature checks do not provide a guaranteed answer as to whether a passenger is carrying the virus.
The CDC has said that the mean time elapsed from exposure to symptom onset is about six days. Some people infected with the virus never show symptoms at all, and thus would not be flagged at a TSA temperature check.
"Of course we're concerned with that, but we want to fix what we can. We think this is part of it. It's not a comprehensive solution," Budd said, adding, "It's just common sense. It's bipartisan, and it sets a threshold."
The airline industry has been one of the hardest hit during the coronavirus pandemic. Many airlines have warned employees about widespread layoffs due to drastically decreased air travel demand.
Budd said the industry employs about 10 million people and makes up about 5 percent of the nation's GDP. He believes temperature checks will make potential travelers feel more confident about getting back on board.
Students, lawmakers and religious leaders have joined forces at a temple in Philadelphia to strongly denounce antisemitism on college campuses and in their communities, one day after University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill resigned amid criticism over her testimony at a congressional hearing.
The former New York City mayor has already been found liable in the defamation lawsuit brought by Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, who endured threats and harassment after they became the target of a conspiracy theory spread by Trump and his allies.
Donald Trump says he's decided against testifying for a second time at his New York civil fraud trial. In a social media post Sunday, the former president said he “very successfully & conclusively” testified last month and saw no need to appear again.
The president of Harvard University has apologized for her remarks at a congressional hearing on antisemitism, saying she got caught up in a heated exchange and failed to properly denounce threats of violence against Jewish students.
The House Education and Workforce Committee opened an investigation into MIT, the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University after an anti-Semitism hearing on Tuesday.
The son of North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer was charged with manslaughter and fleeing an officer after a police pursuit ended in a crash that killed the sheriff's deputy.
