TSA waiver extended: checked bags skip screening on connecting flights

What it does

This bill extends a pilot program for ten years. Passengers and checked bags can skip TSA screening when connecting from certain foreign airports to domestic flights. Bags must be screened abroad using approved explosives-detection systems. CBP must pre-clear the bags using advance imaging. No security flags can have been raised.

Who it affects

Passengers benefit from faster connections and reduced screening delays. Airlines and airports benefit from faster baggage handling. The trade-off is that TSA re-screening is skipped in favor of foreign airport screening and CBP pre-clearance.

One thing to notice

The bill does not say which foreign airports qualify for this program. That decision rests with TSA and CBP. The program extends for ten years without Congress reviewing pilot outcomes or screening miss rates.

From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.

Where it stands

1 cosponsor: 1 Democrats.

• Jun 23, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Jun 23, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Homeland Security and Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Homeland Security”
• Jun 24, 2026 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
• Jun 24, 2026 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported by the Yeas and Nays: 30 - 0”
• Jul 13, 2026 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H4393)”
• Jul 13, 2026 — Floor vote scheduled · Congress.gov: “Mr. Garbarino moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill. (consideration: CR H4393-4394)”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

9 groups reported lobbying about this bill. They filed 9 reports from Jun 2026 to Jun 2026.

Those reports show $4,998,301 in lobbying spending. Each report lists about 31 bills. So that money was not all for this bill.

More groups named this bill than 89% of bills with any report.

Carlos Gimenez, who sponsored the bill, received $300,250 from PACs for the 2026 election.

• Delta Air Lines Inc — $1,460,000 in 1 report
• American Association of Airport Executives — $1,172,100 in 1 report
• U.S. Travel Association — $800,000 in 1 report
• Airports Council International -- North America — $775,201 in 1 report
• Southwest Airlines — $360,000 in 1 report

Lobbying is legal. These reports show who lobbied about this bill, not what changed.

Words to know

• TSA — Transportation Security Administration, the U.S. agency that screens passengers and bags at airports
• CBP — Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. agency that inspects goods and people entering the country
• advance imaging — technology that scans bags to detect dangerous items before they board planes
• explosives-detection systems — machines that find explosives or bomb materials in checked bags
• pilot program — a test project run for a limited time to see if an idea works
• lobbying — Trying to influence lawmakers about a bill. Companies and groups pay people to do this.