What Does Airport Security have to do with Voting Rights?

by MarkM. Bello

We are 40 days into a partial government (DHS) shutdown. Tuesday night, the Senate, apparently, approved a “fix” so that TSA agents can get paid. The House must now approve it before the holiday recess. We shall see.

For over a month, TSA agents have worked without pay. The shutdown began because Democrats refused to fund the Department of Homeland Security without reforms to how Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operates.

Their position was simple:

If we are going to fund enforcement, it must be constitutional enforcement.

No unconstitutional shortcuts.
Stop abusing immigrants and citizens.
Do not, under any circumstances, violate Constitutional due process protections.

Reasonable people can debate where that line is—Their position was grounded in policy—but reasonable people could debate where to draw the line. I’m not surprised that this president and his party disfavor any meaningful reforms to ICE.

The dispute has spilled over to other aspects of Homeland Security, most notably to TSA, the agency responsible for airport and airline safety.

Chaos—By Design

Democrats have offered, on numerous occasions, to fund TSA by unanimous consent while disputed issues are debated.

Make sense?

Sure, it does. After all, airports across the country are experiencing disruption and uncertainty. But this Democrat-led solution is being deliberately blocked by Republicans and President Trump. Why?

Again, understand that there is a straightforward fix:

A targeted carve-out to ensure TSA employees are paid, and airport security continues uninterrupted.

It should pass. But it won’t.

Republicans not only don’t want to negotiate on ICE abuses, but they are also, unbelievably, refusing to fund DHS unless Congress also passes the SAVE Act.

Which raises an obvious question:

What the hell does airport security have to do with voting laws?

Answer:

Nothing—unless you’re using one to force the other.

In other words, folks, airport chaos, inconvenience, and 3-hour lines are happening because Republicans are using air travelers and TSA Agents as leverage to restrict voting rights.

Leverage, pure and simple, and it’s shameful, disgusting, mean-spirited, and wrong.

Governance or Coercion?

Think about the structure of what’s happening. The Republicans must understand that airport chaos is not only aggravating—it is unsafe. Thousands of people standing in areas that don’t require screening is a recipe for mass casualties. Thousands of people are not supposed to be congregating in those areas. However, these Republicans are willing to:

• Create or allow public disruption and airport chaos.
• Cause unsafe conditions at airports across America.
• Tie the solution to an unrelated and unreasonable political demand (voting restrictions).

In some sort of vengeful chess game, Republicans hope Democrats will cave. That’s not legislating. It’s holding dedicated government employees and air travelers hostage.

Donald Trump has, for as long as I can remember, spread the big lie. He and his ReTrumplican lackeys have argued that elections are, somehow, “rigged” and people who shouldn’t be voting vote. This is one of the many lies Trump has told since he became a candidate for president, and it is one of the most consequential. To fix a problem that does not exist, Republicans are demanding

• Stricter documentation requirements
• Barriers for naturalized citizens
• Obstacles for low-income and Elderly voters
• Increased risk of legitimate voters being turned away

These barriers don’t fall evenly. They fall hardest on the poor, the elderly, people of color, and naturalized citizens. In other words, the very voters who already face the greatest hurdles.

While Democrats fight to increase access to the polls, Republicans consistently support restricting access to the polls. We’ve seen this movie before. Across the country, we’ve seen Republicans engage in repeated efforts to:

• Reduce early voting
• Limit mail-in ballots
• Close polling locations
• Enforce strict ID laws without expanding access to those IDs

Why? It’s not complicated. When a political party believes it cannot expand its base, it has only one option:

Limit the number of people who will likely vote for the other party.

The SAVE Act—and the tactics surrounding it—is an attempt to legislate voter imbalance.

And the Public Pays the Price

While these political shenanigans play out, real people are affected:

• Families are delayed at airports
• Workers are missing flights
• TSA agents, not being paid, are quitting or not showing up to work.
• A system strained for no legitimate reason

In other words, the system is being strained for no legitimate reason. All of this is unnecessary and avoidable. In a functioning democracy, voting is not a privilege to be rationed. It is a right to be protected. And government funding should not be contingent on making that right harder to Exercise.

Because when access to the ballot becomes a bargaining chip, Democracy itself is on the table.

Mark M. Bello is an attorney and award-winning author of the Zachary Blake Legal Thriller Series, ripped-from-the-headlines, realistic fiction that speaks truth to power and champions the rights of citizens in our justice system. These novels are dedicated to the social justice movement. They educate, spark discussion, and inspire readers to action. One of these novels, Betrayal High, was written in response to school shootings. For more information, please visit www.markmbello.com.

The post What Does Airport Security have to do with Voting Rights? appeared first on Lean to the Left.

Bob Gatty Author, Podcaster, Blogger

For many years, Bob Gatty worked as a writer, editor, and communications consultant, based on the Washington, DC area with a focus on government and politics. He began at The Pittsburgh Courier, an African American weekly, covering crime and the courts. His salary was $55 per week before moving on to two local Pennsylvania dailies. At age 24, he began reporting for United Press International covering state politics in Pennsylvania and then New Jersey, where he was UPI’s state capitol bureau in Trenton.

Tempted by the allure of Washington, DC and big-time politics, at age 29 Bob became press secretary and chief of staff for two Congressmen – first Republican Edwin B. Forsythe, and then Democrat James J. Florio, who later became governor of New Jersey and until his recent death was a frequent podcast guest and co-host of Bob’s NFN Radio News podcast (now called Lean to the Left).

After seven years on Capitol Hill, Bob opened a communications business in Washington, first providing political media consulting to candidates and then freelance Washington coverage for business and trade magazines, plus creative communications services for trade and professional associations, including social media. This work involved articles and analyses of key governmental developments affecting businesses, such as the food and Health industries, retailing, and the environment.

His work as a communications consultant to trade and professional associations included launching and editing association publications, providing website content and social media assistance, and covering conferences and conventions.

Bob retired from G-Net Strategic Communications in 2016 and moved to Myrtle Beach, SC, where he launched his blog site, first called Not Fake News, now known as Lean to the Left.

Hijacked Nation
In August, 2020, Bob and co-author Chris Waldron, one of Lean to the Left's most loyal and prolific contributor, published "Hijacked Nation-Donald Trump's Attack on America's Greatness," a two-volume compilation of blogs regarding Trump's presidency and the consequences for our nation. A followup volume was published by Luna Global Media in September 2024. It is available at https://amzn.to/4ePrTF7 .

In all three volumes, blogs from Not Fake News and Lean to the Left create a virtual play-by-play of key actions of the Trump administration and Congress. For more information, please visit https://leantotheleft.net/books/, and visit Bob's Author's Page on Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/stores/Bob-Gatty/author/B08C7HWXZ5?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=4e603563-7251-4074-b54d-40800c4ce40a.

The Lean to the Left Podcast
The Lean to the Left podcast provides commentary and interviews with newsmakers and others with interesting stories to tell. Video and audio podcasts stream twice weekly on major channels. More info at https://podcast.leantotheleft.net.

The Lean to the Left YouTube Channel
You'll find all of the audio tracks for the Lean to the Left Podcast here plus original videos, including complete video versions of each podcast.
https://www.youtube.com/@LeantotheLeft.