Majority Statement

• Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV

  Chairman

  U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
  Read statement

  Majority Statement

  Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV

  In the wake of the attacks on September 11, Congress worked on several fronts to protect this country and defend against future attacks. To secure our transportation systems, we created the Transportation Security Administration. The TSA was given the monumental task of protecting our aviation system, our ports, our rail lines, our pipelines, and our transportation system. Since its inception, the agency has dealt with conflicting mandates that have left it stuck between two important goals. We have asked the TSA to promote speed and efficiency while prioritizing safety and security. At the same time, the agency has had to fulfill this vast mission with limited funding and resources.  

  I was Chairman of this Committee’s Aviation Subcommittee when the TSA was created.  I’ve watched it grow – but also struggle, at times – to meet its mission. However, these ups and downs are becoming less common. This is partly due to a series of legislative reforms and, importantly, the strong, steady and consistent leadership of Administrator Pistole.

  Today, I believe our aviation system is safer than it has ever been. Since the TSA was created, we have seen no successful air attacks on American soil despite significant and sophisticated efforts by our enemies. We are also doing a better job at pre-empting dangerous people and goods from getting on aircraft. And, better intelligence has resulted in real policy changes. This has allowed authorities to act faster than ever to guarantee travelers’ safety. Screening at American airports has also evolved and improved. The TSA is harnessing advances in technology while adequately balancing privacy concerns. As a result, we’ve seen shorter wait times – more than 99 percent of passengers move through security in less than 20 minutes. That is a far cry from the days when security lines were several hours long.  

  A lot of credit for these changes goes to the TSA’s new risk-based approach to security – an approach that is championed by Administrator Pistole. How we refine, and fund, these risk-based approaches will determine how successful we are in adapting to ever-evolving security concerns. In the next decade, for example, air travel is predicted to grow from 700 million to 1 billion people annually. We should be spending more money today to handle the sheer volume of travelers expected tomorrow. 

  But there is a severe lack of urgency among many in Congress to invest in the security of our other transportation systems. Across the board, from our ports to our rails, we are failing to make sensible investments that will ultimately make the traveling public safer, and save us money. As a result, we have left vulnerable the security of our ports and surface transportation systems, which are all critical components of the TSA’s mission, and vice versa. While there is substantially less public focus on these areas, these systems have been the target of terrorist plots. An attack on a major port – or in a crowded transit system – could be as devastating as an aviation incident.  

  Even in aviation, where we are focusing the bulk of our resources, more work must be done. I continue to be concerned about the gaps in general aviation security. Let us not forget that a private plane could wreak just as much terror as a commercial jetliner. Recent incidents have further raised important questions about the security of our airports. In November, there was a tragic shooting at Los Angeles International Airport. One TSA employee was killed and 7 others were injured. And last week, a teenager was able to clear an airport fence in California and stowaway on a flight, completely undetected, until he landed in Hawaii. If anything, these episodes underscore the need to continually reevaluate and improve our efforts.   

  In the thirteen years since TSA was created, we have learned that transportation issues are not becoming easier to overcome. That’s because our world is becoming more complex, with ever-evolving and even more sophisticated threats to our security. One of the only ways we are going to meet these challenges is to provide the TSA with the resources it needs to get its job done. And to improve the overall security of our transportation systems, those resources must be allocated wisely across aviation and surface transportation programs.  

  The men and women of the Transportation Security Administration have done far more than they receive credit for to improve our nation’s security. It is too often a thankless task with few good options and too few resources. I can say, with confidence, that the TSA is on the right track under the leadership of Administrator Pistole. Certainly, more work needs to be done, but I know the current leadership and workforce is up to the task. The looming question now is whether Congress is ready to give up its stubborn hold on resources the TSA needs to meet its mission. 

  ###

Minority Statement

• Senator John R Thune

  Ranking Member

  U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
  Download Statement (219.00 KB)

  Read statement

  Minority Statement

  Senator John R Thune

  Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding this oversight hearing on the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). This is the first TSA hearing the committee has held since November of 2011, and the first opportunity to hear from Administrator Pistole since he provided a classified briefing on aviation threats to committee members last February.

  Last week, a public opinion survey released by Harris Poll found that only half of respondents thought that TSA security screening procedures make air travel safer. Given this measure of public skepticism, which may reflect the fact that we thankfully haven’t experienced another  9/11 style attack, I hope the administrator can explain how his recent efforts to implement a risk-based approach to transportation security at the agency make it more efficient and effective at fulfilling its mission of securing the nation’s transportation systems.

  I know Administrator Pistole has made this intelligence-driven approach a top priority, and has brought his former law enforcement experience to bear in the process. So, I look forward to hearing about TSA’s progress in implementing and expanding the risk-based PreCheck program, which I was pleased to hear has recently become easier for South Dakotans to participate in after two PreCheck enrollment centers opened in Rapid City and Pierre.

  At the same time, there have been a number of recent security breaches in the news that have raised concerns about TSA’s ability to oversee and regulate airport security beyond the screening of passengers and baggage. Last November, an individual entered a Los Angeles International Airport terminal and shot a bystander and three TSA employees, one of whom—Gerardo Hernandez—tragically died from his injuries.

  And just last week, a teenage stowaway scaled an airport perimeter fence, climbed into an airplane wheel well, and somehow survived a flight from San Jose to Maui, Hawaii.  Although TSA and FBI investigators have yet to release further details on how he evaded detection by the airport’s multi-layered security system, I hope the administrator can discuss generally the TSA’s role in overseeing airport perimeter security and access controls, and how we all might learn from these two incidents. 

  Technology is one tool that TSA uses to mitigate threats, but the agency’s history of technology acquisition is spotty at best – from the failed deployment of unreliable “Puffer” machines to the recent removal of those advanced imaging technology (AIT) machines that could not be modified to replace detailed  images of passengers with more generic images and automated threat detection software. 

  Industry stakeholders have also criticized TSA for making it difficult for industry to plan ahead and invest in innovative research and development. Legislation to improve transparency and accountability in technology acquisition spending by TSA cleared the House unanimously last December. This legislation and a companion bill introduced by our colleague Senator Ayotte and cosponsored by Senator Blunt have been referred to this committee, and I hope the administrator can comment on these bills and ongoing acquisition challenges.

  Mr. Chairman, as we consider TSA’s use of its resources, I also want to note my concerns about recent increases to the passenger aviation security fee adopted under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013. The act, which was drafted without authorizing committee input, raises the passenger fee on July 1^st to $5.60 per passenger per one-way flight, and diverts $12.6 billion of the total fees generated over the next 10 years to deficit reduction rather than aviation security. While I certainly support deficit reduction, I do not think that the air traveling public should be singled out to pay for it.

  In addition, commercial airlines have expressed concerns about TSA’s implementation of the increased fee, specifically the elimination of the one-way trip cap and the resulting cost increases for long, multi-leg, round-trip travel. I look forward to hearing clarification from the administrator on exactly how the TSA will implement this fee change.  

  I am also looking forwarded to discussing the efforts that TSA is undertaking in the surface transportation and maritime sectors. One TSA program that has come under increased scrutiny recently is the Transportation Worker Identification Credential, or TWIC, program.  Recent reports from the Government Accountability Office have raised serious questions about the effectiveness of this program, and I would like to hear Administrator’s Pistole’s suggestions on how the TWIC program can be improved. 

  I am also interested in hearing the administrator’s plans for TSA to carry out its mission as the lead federal agency for all transportation security matters, regardless of mode. I know that in response to the recent shooting at LAX, TSA has reduced the percentage of Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response teams assigned to surface transportation security from 70 to 50 percent, and I would like to know whether the administrator thinks this reduction will have any negative consequences.

  Mr. Chairman, thank you again for holding this hearing, and thank you to Administrator Pistole for being here today. I look forward to the testimony and the opportunity to ask questions.

   

Testimony

• The Honorable John S. Pistole

  Administrator

  Transportation Security Administration
  Download Testimony (139.25 KB)