Parents juggling strollers, pumps and tiny bottles at airport checkpoints may finally catch a break. A new bipartisan law will change how U.S. airports handle breast milk and feeding supplies, spelling out cleaner, more consistent rules that supporters say will cut down on humiliating mishaps and health risks for nursing parents.
The Bottles and Breastfeeding Equipment Screening (BABES) Enhancement Act orders the Transportation Security Administration to adopt hygienic screening standards for breast milk, formula and related cooling gear, and to do it with input from maternal-health experts. The goal is simple: stop the spills, slowdowns and unnecessary confrontations that have become all too familiar to traveling families.
What the law requires
Under the new statute, TSA has 90 days from enactment to issue or update guidance, and then must revisit those rules at least once every five years. Those procedures must be written in consultation with nationally recognized maternal-health organizations.
The law explicitly covers breast milk, baby formula, purified deionized water for infants, juice and cooling accessories such as ice packs and gel packs. The rules will apply to both TSA employees and private contract screeners working at checkpoints.
To make sure the new policies are not just words on paper, the law directs the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general to conduct a compliance audit within one year of enactment to examine how checkpoints are handling these items, as outlined by the House report.
Why health groups and parents backed it
For health advocates and nursing parents, this is not just a convenience issue. Lactating parents often need to pump or feed every few hours to maintain supply, and delays or unsanitary handling can lead to engorgement, clogged ducts or mastitis. That is a painful price to pay for getting stuck in a slow security line.
Those medical risks, combined with high-profile stories of expressed milk being dumped, opened or otherwise mishandled at security checkpoints, helped push lawmakers to act. For clinical background on breastfeeding and travel, see the CDC, and for reporting on incidents that brought the problem into the spotlight, see Forbes.
What may change at checkpoints
Current TSA guidance already exempts breast milk and formula from the standard 3-1-1 liquids rule, but officers can still subject them to extra testing or alternate screening. How that plays out has often depended on the airport, the shift and the officer.
The BABES law tells TSA to formalize hygienic handling procedures and clearly communicate them to officers and contract screeners. In practice, that could mean more predictable rules about when bottles are X-rayed, when liquid scanners are used instead, and how ice packs and gel packs are treated so they are not contaminated or tossed without cause.
The statutory changes are aimed at cutting down on inconsistent treatment from checkpoint to checkpoint and sparing parents from avoidable delays and awkward arguments over a cooler bag, according to the agency's current guidance on traveling with expressed milk. See TSA.
Oversight and the timeline
The bill was led in the Senate by Sens. Tammy Duckworth, Steve Daines, Ted Cruz and Mazie Hirono and carried in the House by Rep. Eric Swalwell and cosponsors. It cleared the Senate in May and the House in November.
The President signed the measure into law on Tuesday, which started the 90-day clock for TSA to roll out updated guidance and triggered the inspector general’s one-year deadline for the compliance audit. Sen. Mazie Hirono welcomed the new law and said it will help families travel more safely while protecting children’s health; see her statement from Sen. Hirono's office and confirmation of the signing from the White House.
How to travel with breast milk for now
Until TSA publishes any revised procedures, parents are still dealing with the current system. To make it a little smoother, travelers can pack expressed milk in clear containers, keep cooling accessories together, and tell the screening officer about those items before the bags go on the belt.
Travelers who know they will need extra help at the checkpoint can call TSA Cares in advance or ask for assistance on site. For guidance on safe storage, timing and other travel considerations that can help avoid supply issues, see CDC travel guidance and the latest instructions from TSA.
