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.
Four men were charged Monday over the theft of an 18-carat gold toilet from Blenheim Palace, the sprawling English country mansion where British wartime leader Winston Churchill was born.
Donald Trump began testifying Monday morning in his civil fraud trial, producing the spectacle of a former president and the leading Republican presidential candidate defending himself against allegations that he dramatically inflated his net worth.
The most-watched races in Tuesday’s off-year general election have all been dominated by the ongoing debate over abortion rights.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is reportedly planning to endorse Florida Gov. Ron Desantis in the Republican primary.
The endorsement could give DeSantis' campaign a boost as he struggles to show progress against Donald Trump in the Republican primary.
With Donald Trump due on the witness stand next week, testimony from his adult sons in his civil business fraud trial wrapped up Friday with Eric Trump saying he relied completely on accountants and lawyers to assure the accuracy of financial documents key to the case.
The watchdog office overseeing the National Science Foundation is sending investigators to Antarctica's McMurdo Station after hearing concerns about the prevalence of sexual violence at the U.S. research base.
Frederico Klein, a former State Department official, was sentenced to nearly six years in prison after being found guilty on several counts including assault of multiple police officers at the Capitol on Jan. 6.
President Joe Biden and First lady Jill Biden are traveling to Lewiston Maine to pay their respects to the people who were killed there in a mass shooting last week.
The House approved a nearly $14.5 billion military aid package Thursday for Israel, a muscular U.S. response to the war with Hamas but also a partisan approach by new Speaker Mike Johnson that poses a direct challenge to Democrats and President Joe Biden.
