Lawmaker says he suppressed report on FAA and Y2K

Rep. James Sensenbrenner , R-Wis., told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he temporarily suppressed a General Accounting Office report that people without security clearances had worked on Y2K-related air traffic control problems, because he feared public panic, the Associated Press reported.

Sensenbrenner, chairman of the House Science Committee, said the report showed the Federal Aviation Administration had hired an outside contractor to work on fixing Y2K bugs. The report showed that some of the contract workers did not have security clearances, he said.

The congressman said he sent the report to Sandy Berger, President Clinton's national security adviser, and told Berger to decide whether to release it publicly.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the aviation industry had a smooth transition into the new year, with extremely light traffic and no major computer problems.