Duckworth Demands DHS Rescind Noem’s Reckless ‘Shoes On’ Airport Screening Policy that Watchdog Says ‘Created a New Security Vulnerability’

Duckworth Demands DHS Rescind Noem's Reckless 'Shoes On' Airport Screening Policy that Watchdog Says 'Created a New Security Vulnerability'

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)-Ranking Member of the Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST) Aviation Subcommittee-today demanded the Trump Administration rescind former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem's dangerous policy that allows travelers to keep their shoes on at airport security screening checkpoints even after the DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) finding that the policy "created a new security vulnerability in the system." The Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) standard policy that requires all passengers to remove their shoes was implemented after the failed "Shoe Bomber" terrorist attack in 2001, when a man successfully snuck an explosive onto a plane by hiding it in his shoe. In fact, if he had been able to detonate his explosive during the flight, it would have killed all 197 passengers and the flight crew.

"Secretary Noem's decision to implement a shoes on policy on July 8, 2025, likely without meaningful consultation with TSA, was a reckless act," wrote Duckworth. "The DHS Inspector General conducted covert testing that reportedly found certain TSA Advanced Imaging Technology full body scanners 'can't scan shoes'-leading DHS OIG to determine, 'Noem's policy move had inadvertently created a new security vulnerability in the system.'"

Duckworth's demand comes after she learned from the DHS OIG that DHS has ignored and refused to address the concerns the OIG raised after a covert audit revealed "significant safety and security" concerns within the TSA's airport security screening.

"When investigators covertly tested the effectiveness of TSA's airport checkpoint security screening at preventing threat items from being brought onto commercial aircraft, a significant finding was uncovered that warranted Inspector General Joseph Cuffari issuing a Seven-Day Letter on August 26, 2025, to Secretary Noem notifying the Secretary of its time-sensitive significant finding that required swift corrective action," continued Duckworth. "Secretary Noem's subsequent failure to direct DHS to engage DHS OIG on the substance of the Seven-Day Letter was outrageous, unacceptable and dangerous to the flying public."

In her letter to TSA, Duckworth underscored how DHS's deliberate inaction violates federal law, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance and DHS's own directives-and that TSA must reverse Noem's reckless policy immediately for the safety of the flying public.

"Allowing a potentially catastrophic security deficiency to remain in place for seven months and counting betrays TSA's mission," Duckworth emphasized. "At a minimum, TSA's failure to swiftly implement corrective action warrants the immediate withdrawal of Secretary Noem's reckless and dangerous policy that increases the risk of a terrorist smuggling a dangerous item onto a flight."

A copy of the letter can be found on the Senator's website and below:

Dear Ms. McNeill:

I demand that you immediately rescind former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem's policy forcing the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to allow travelers to keep their shoes on at airport security screening checkpoints despite credible and disturbing reports that covert testing conducted during a performance audit identified serious findings with significant safety and security implications for the traveling public.

TSA's policy of requiring all passengers to remove their shoes originated with the failed "Shoe Bomber" terrorist attack. This incident occurred on December 22, 2001, when Richard Reid attempted to detonate improvised explosive devices (IEDs) hidden in his shoes during a Miami bound flight. Had Reid succeeded in detonating the IEDs concealed in his shoes, the explosives likely would have blown a hole in the fuselage and caused the plane to crash, killing all 197 passengers and the flight crew.

Secretary Noem's decision to implement a shoes on policy on July 8, 2025, likely without meaningful consultation with TSA, was a reckless act. According to reporting by The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted covert testing that found certain TSA Advanced Imaging Technology full body scanners "can't scan shoes"-leading DHS OIG to determine, "Noem's policy move had inadvertently created a new security vulnerability in the system."

According to DHS OIG, when investigators covertly tested the effectiveness of TSA's airport checkpoint security screening at preventing threat items from being brought onto commercial aircraft, a significant finding was uncovered that warranted Inspector General Joseph Cuffari issuing a Seven-Day Letter on August 26, 2025, to Secretary Noem notifying the Secretary of its time-sensitive significant finding that required swift corrective action. Secretary Noem's subsequent failure to direct DHS to engage DHS OIG on the substance of the Seven-Day Letter was outrageous, unacceptable and dangerous to the flying public.

Secretary Noem's shoes on policy remains in effect-despite President Donald Trump publicly announcing the firing of Secretary Noem on March 5, 2026 (effective at the end of March). It is unclear, at best, whether DHS and TSA took any action to address the alarming security findings uncovered during covert field testing of TSA's effectiveness at preventing dangerous items from being smuggled onto commercial aircraft.

Such inaction violates Federal law, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance and DHS's own directives requiring that TSA provide a Management Decision with planned corrective actions and target completion dates within 90 days after OIG's final report is transmitted-in this case by January 30, 2026.

While under oath, you testified to Congress that you had read the DHS OIG final report in November 2025 and that you concurred with the findings and recommendations. Yet, it appears TSA not only failed to submit the Management Decision within 90 days of DHS OIG transmitting its final report but also has, to this day, still failed to comply with a critically important statutory requirement, OMB guidance and DHS directives.

Allowing a potentially catastrophic security deficiency to remain in place for seven months and counting betrays TSA's mission. At a minimum, TSA's failure to swiftly implement corrective action warrants the immediate withdrawal of Secretary Noem's reckless and dangerous policy that increases the risk of a terrorist smuggling a dangerous item onto a flight.

Secretary Noem's willingness to gamble the American people's security in an unsuccessful attempt to boost her popularity was, and remains, a stunning failure of leadership-particularly following President Trump's decision to launch an unconstitutional war of choice against Iran that DHS has determined, "is causing a heightened threat environment in the United States." I demand you immediately rescind the dangerous TSA policy that former Secretary Noem recklessly implemented, until the agency implements comprehensive corrective action and the DHS OIG tests and verifies that the updates effectively address the significant findings uncovered during covert field testing.

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