[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 148 (Wednesday, October 31, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H7532]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             PROFESSIONALIZE SECURITY AT AMERICA'S AIRPORTS

  (Mr. RODRIGUEZ asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, the security of America should be our 
first priority and it should not be turned into politics. Politics 
should not be part of this debate.
  We use over 450 airports and over 3,000 employees to transport people 
across this country. The size and complexity of our system requires a 
Federal workforce that is professional, well-trained, and well-paid, 
not contracted employees making less than fast food wages.
  If we are to restore public confidence in air travel, we must make 
real attempts to address the security problems. We cannot guarantee 
safety with a system that leaves national security in the hands of 
private companies that contract to the lowest bidder.
  We stand a fighting chance against terror in the skies only if we 
have professionalism in the law enforcement function, where we can feel 
confident that they are well-trained, they are competent and they will 
be able to protect our citizens.
  We should not privatize our national security. We do not privatize 
the Department of Defense, we do not privatize the FBI, we do not 
privatize security services. We must do the right thing.

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