WASHINGTON, D.C (Press Release)– U.S. Rep. John L. Mica (Republican, Florida), the Republican Leader of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, released the following statement regarding the recent attempted bombing of Northwest Flight 253. Mica was Chairman of the Subcommittee on Aviation from 2001 to 2007, and was one of the authors of the law establishing the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
“The dramatic failure of our aviation security system to detect and deter the attempted bombing of Northwest Flight 253 is a serious wakeup call.
“First, Congress must change the process by which TSA administrators serve. There has been no TSA administrator for nearly a year and the next one will be the fifth in eight years. Running a security agency with a revolving door is a recipe for failure.
“Since TSA was combined with 21 other federal agencies to form the 225,000-employee Department of Homeland Security, it has been lost in that bureaucracy. TSA has also morphed from a force of 16,500 private screeners to an army of over 60,000 federal employees. It has become an agency that is ineptly led from Washington, DC by a top heavy, well paid headquarters staff of 3,200 with an average annual salary of $103,000. TSA also has 8,700 administrative and managerial staff in the field.”
“TSA has grown larger than some federal Cabinet level offices, including the Department of Education and the Department of Commerce.
“Despite this massive federal workforce, TSA has failed to compile a reliable watch list after eight years, or put in place a biometric identification protocol after multiple directives in law. These failures are not only exasperating, they are mind-boggling.
“We could reduce the managerial and administrative staff in Washington and in the field by 25 percent, transferring these positions overseas and to high-risk locations, more in line with the Israeli model of aviation security.
“DHS officials have been made aware of classified reports of record levels of poor detection performance by Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) since early 2009 and have failed to institute necessary reforms.
“Development and deployment of explosive detection equipment continues to lag. These Northwest flight passengers were fortunate that more sophisticated devices and currently undetectable explosive materials were not employed.
“With a record number of air marshals at TSA, it is unbelievable that the agency could not deploy at least one to an at-risk international flight with a suspect reportedly on at least one watch list and whose father reportedly had previously warned U.S. embassy officials. It is incredible that TSA and other federal agencies could bungle this security situation, given the red flags raised by this suspected terrorist.
“The only meaningful security provided in this case was by the passengers and crew aboard Flight 253. Their heroic actions averted tragedy on Christmas Day.
“Congress has made security matters worse over the past years by diverting resources to excess bureaucracy, inflated salaries and pet projects. Congressional oversight of security has waned, and most of the emphasis in the policy debate has been on whether to expand collective bargaining rights to TSA screeners.
“This attack is a loud wakeup call. Congress and the Administration need to act before it’s too late. I call on all the Congressional committees of jurisdiction and House and Senate leaders to meet as soon as possible to review this critical matter and act appropriately.”
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Preceding provided by Congressman Mica