TSA chief: Don’t ease airport security deadlines

Lawmakers should not ease up on deadlines to bolster security at the nation's airports, James Loy, acting administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, said Tuesday.

Testifying before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Loy acknowledged that about 10 percent of airports would not meet a Dec. 31 deadline to screen all checked baggage for explosives. Still, Loy does not support a "wholesale" delay in the deadline. Rather, Loy wants to work out extensions with those 30 to 35 airports that are not expected to meet the current deadline, establishing more realistic timeframes and developing interim strategies for screening baggage.

Those interim strategies could include more hand searches and the use of bomb-sniffing dogs. TSA officials are uncertain if legislation is needed to grant the extensions, but Loy made it clear that he wants to work with Congress to come up with a viable solution.

Concerned that airports will not be ready by Dec. 31, some members of Congress want to extend the deadline one year. The House version of a bill creating a Homeland Security Department includes such a provision. There is not as much support in the Senate for extending the deadline. Several members of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee expressed reservations about a blanket extension. But they were receptive to Loy's idea of granting individual waivers to a limited number of airports.

Some of the delays are the result of having to reconfigure airport terminals to house SUV-sized explosive-detection machines. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is concerned that Boeing, the contractor responsible for deploying the equipment, has been slow to assess the nation's 429 commercial airports. A TSA spokesman said that assessments have either been completed or are under way at 268 airports. Boeing has yet to start assessments on the remaining 161 airports. The assessments are vital in determining how many explosive-detection machines are needed.

Loy reassured the committee that TSA would meet its Nov. 19 deadline to federalize all passenger screeners. As of Tuesday, the agency had hired 26,300 screeners. That's up from roughly 10,000 screeners in early July. Agency officials expect to have 30,000 screeners on board by the Nov. 19 deadline.

Displaying the cooperative, steady approach that won him kudos while head of the Coast Guard, Loy told the committee that he is trying to change TSA's image of being arrogant and aloof. Under its previous administrator, John Magaw, who resigned in July, the agency often clashed with members of Congress, the aviation industry and others at the Transportation Department. Loy said his goal is to create an agency dedicated to "world class security and world class customer service."

Echoing remarks that Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta made before the committee in July, Loy cautioned that the agency would not be able to meet its mission without additional resources.

"Our success in fiscal 2003 is largely dependent on receiving the $4.8 billion in funds the president requested for TSA, plus an additional $546 million in funds in the budget amendment forwarded to Congress last week," Loy said. He also asked the committee for help in lifting a personnel cap. Congressional appropriators limited TSA to 45,000 full time employees.

"We would simply be unable to meet our core statutory requirements of the law for baggage screening if this limit remains in place past this month. If this limit remains in place, we would halt plans for hiring baggage screeners, and would likely be forced to warehouse [explosive-detection] equipment that is now on order," he said.