WASHINGTON, D.C. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, released the following statement today during a hearing on the attempted terrorist incident on Flight 253 that occurred on Christmas day. The hearing focused on emerging threats in aviation security and the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) ability to adapt and address these evolving security issues. 

“In the aftermath of the attempted bombing of Flight 253 to Detroit, it is becoming clear that America’s current security measures did not work. The President’s own initial review concluded that if our intelligence analysts had pieced together the information available, there would have been sufficient grounds to place the attempted bomber on the terrorist watchlist—increasing the likelihood of disrupting the plot. The country was very fortunate that the device malfunctioned and that the crew and passengers of Flight 253 acted heroically. This incident serves as a harsh reminder of the evolving nature of terrorism and the tactics of those who seek to attack our country. It is clear that our nation must do a better job of quickly adapting to these new threats by gathering, identifying and properly utilizing all available intelligence information. After September 11th, our nation entered a new era of conflict and our goals and policies must continually reflect this shifting battleground. We must adapt to these changes or face the consequences that our nation will never truly be safe from attacks like the attempted bombing of Flight 253.”

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