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Senator decries new shoes-on security policy at US airports as ‘reckless’

The Guardian · 🇬🇧 public United Kingdom · · 424 words · By Edward Helmore
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What to know about Senator decries new shoes-on security policy at US airports as ‘reckless’

Nine months after US airports allowed passengers to pass through scanners without taking off their shoes, rescinding the stringent policy after almost two decades, a top senator claimed the “reckless” move could put passengers in danger.

Claims checked 14
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left14%
Center72%
Right14%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Nine months after US airports allowed passengers to pass through scanners without taking off their shoes, rescinding the stringent policy after almost two decades, a top senator claimed the “reckless” move could put passengers in danger.

Why it matters

The policy amounts to a “potentially catastrophic security deficiency”, according to Tammy Duckworth, Democrat for Illinois, and ranking member of the Senate commerce, science and transportation (CST) aviation subcommittee.

Common ground

In a letter to Ha Nguyen McNeill, deputy administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Duckworth cited news reports that some scanners can’t scan shoes.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/03/tsa-shoes-off-on-policy-airport-…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 14 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

help Insufficient Evidence 7
schedule Pending 4
verified Verified By Reference 2
cancel Disputed 1
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Claim 1: “Noem also mulled relaxing restrictions on the volume of liquids airline passengers are allowed to bring on flights as hand-luggage”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in Wikipedia or web search results to support or refute the claim about Kristi Noem's liquid restrictions consideration.
schedule
Claim 2: “Hundreds of TSA workers have left the agency since the shutdown began, though missed paychecks have been paid retroactively”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 3: “the DHS inspector general conducted covert testing that reportedly found some TSA full body scanners 'can’t scan shoes'”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 4: “The TSA and DHS did not immediately respond to requests for comment”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in Wikipedia or web search results to support or refute the claim about TSA/DHS non-response.
verified
Claim 5: “Nine months after US airports allowed passengers to pass through scanners without taking off their shoes, rescinding the stringent policy after almost two decades”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
All Wikipedia sources are unrelated to airport scanner policies. No cross-references or web results confirm the claim about shoe removal policy changes.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — us is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the United States. It was established in February 1985. Registrants of us domains must be U.S. citizens, residents, or organizations – or f…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.us
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Novak Djokovic defeated Daniil Medvedev in the final, 6–3, 7–6(7–5), 6–3 to win the men's singles tennis title at the 2023 US Open. It was his fourth US Open title and record-extending 24th men's sing…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_US_Open_–_Men's_singles
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Coco Gauff defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the final, 2–6, 6–3, 6–2 to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2023 US Open. It was her first major singles title. Gauff was the first American teenager…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_US_Open_–_Women's_singles
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Claim 6: “He was later sentenced to three life terms plus 110 years in prison”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in Wikipedia or web search results to support or refute the claim about Richard Reid's sentencing.
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Claim 7: “Duckworth, who lost both legs and partial use of her right arm in 2004 when her Black Hawk helicopter was hit by an RPG during the second Iraq war”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in Wikipedia or web search results to support or refute the claim about Tammy Duckworth's 2004 injury.
verified
Claim 8: “the rule came into effect after 'shoe bomber' Richard Reid’s failed attempt to take down a flight from Paris to Miami in December 2001 with explosives in his shoes”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia confirms Richard Reid's 2001 shoe bombing attempt on American Airlines Flight 63, directly supporting the claim.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On December 22, 2001, a failed shoe bombing attempt occurred aboard American Airlines Flight 63. The aircraft, a Boeing 767-300ER (registration N384AA) with 197 passengers and crew aboard, was flying …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Airlines_Flight_63_(2…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Richard Colvin Reid (born 12 August 1973), also known as the "Shoe Bomber", is a British terrorist who perpetrated the failed shoe bombing attempt against a transatlantic flight in 2001. Born to a car…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Reid
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Tara Donna Reid (; born November 8, 1975) is an American actress. Her film roles established her status as a sex symbol in the late 1990s. In film, Reid was the lead ensemble role as Vicky Lathum in t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tara_Reid
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Claim 9: “The new shoes-on policy was introduced by the former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary, Kristi Noem, last July”
DISPUTED
Wikipedia explicitly states Kristi Noem served as DHS secretary from 2025 to 2026, contradicting the claim of July 2023 implementation.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 United States Senate election in Oklahoma will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect a member of the U.S. Senate to represent the state of Oklahoma. Incumbent Senator Alan Armstrong, who was …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_Senate_elec…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On July 4, 2025, destructive and deadly flooding took place in the Hill Country region of the U.S. state of Texas. During the flooding, water levels along the Guadalupe River rose rapidly. As a result…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_2025_Central_Texas_floods
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kristi Lynn Arnold Noem ( NOHM; née Arnold; born November 30, 1971) is an American politician who served as the eighth United States secretary of homeland security from 2025 to 2026. A member of the R…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristi_Noem
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Claim 10: “some scanners can’t scan shoes”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in Wikipedia or web search results to support or refute the claim about scanner limitations.
schedule
Claim 11: “US travelers face long lines to clear security at airports after a record-long partial government shutdown”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 12: “Most remain in place, but medically necessary liquids, gels, and aerosols in quantities greater than 3.4 ounces are now allowed if they are first declared”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in Wikipedia or web search results to support or refute the claim about liquid restriction allowances.
help
Claim 13: “Duckworth recently re-introduced a bill making it easier for parents to travel through airports with breast milk and breastfeeding supplies”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in Wikipedia or web search results to support or refute the claim about Tammy Duckworth's bill reintroduction.
schedule
Claim 14: “the office of inspector general had determined that the policy move 'inadvertently created a new security vulnerability in the system'”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.