[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 34 (Tuesday, March 4, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H1475-H1476]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     CARGO PILOT SECURITY MEASURES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Miller of Florida). Pursuant to the 
order of the House of January 7, 2003, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. 
Stearns) is recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, at few other times has national security 
been more important. In the 107th Congress, we enacted many pieces of 
legislation that sought to strengthen the weakness of our homeland 
security. That weakness was apparent on 9-11. Yet, Mr. Speaker, a lot 
remains.
  I rise today to address the security of our airline pilots and the 
fact that there seems to be serious differences in the scope of 
security that exist between different types of pilots, namely the cargo 
pilots.
  Tens of thousands of cargo pilots are not able to enjoy the same 
level of security that has been put into place for many of the pilots 
of our Nation's passenger airlines. Little attention has been given to 
thousands of cargo jets that dot American skies each day. Terrorists 
are going to look for the path of least resistance, much like water; 
and it is merely a matter of time before men realize that their chances 
for success are higher in the cargo wing of an airport, where security 
is significantly more relaxed.
  With the passage of the homeland security bill, passenger pilots were 
given the right to carry arms, but for some reason this same security 
measure has not been afforded to our Nation's cargo pilots.
  If compromised, some cargo jets could become significantly more 
dangerous than those of the planes used on September 11. With increased 
fuel payloads and oftentimes dangerous cargos in their hulls, the 
impact from one of these jets would be devastating.
  In recent months I have received several letters from cargo pilots in 
my district. These men and women are concerned that they are not 
getting the same attention as their passenger airline counterparts.
  Cargo pilots fly the skies alone without the protection of Federal 
sky marshals or the possible support of a flight crew or hundreds of 
passengers. These pilots are in dire need of a last-ditch defense that 
will protect the cockpit, their cargo, and potentially thousands of 
lives on the ground.
  The pilots of major cargo carriers, like UPS and Federal Express, are 
concerned and have voiced the fact that they no longer feel safe. Many 
of these jets weigh upwards of 800,000 pounds and carry over 50,000 
gallons of fuel. The impact created by one of these planes would be 
unimaginable.
  I feel that the message has been sent to potential terrorists who 
realize this and that we need to do something to protect innocent 
lives.
  The FAA desires one level of security for all pilots, and I feel it 
necessary we should provide it for the cargo pilots. Political 
maneuvering by the cargo industry has shielded them from the level of 
security screening mandated for the passenger terminal. The entire 
burden for the security of the aircraft rests on two or three pilots 
who are in that cockpit.
  There is little cargo pilots can do to defend the aircraft against a 
terrorist

[[Page H1476]]

attack. Stripping these men and women of the ability to carry firearms 
in the post 9-11 environment is not right.
  It is time that we address this obvious loophole in cargo security. 
In a maneuver that seemingly took place at the eleventh hour, the word 
``passenger'' was inserted in the House bill's provision for arming 
pilots, and a similar change took place in the Senate version shortly 
thereafter. The effect of this single-word change is that it exempts 
all cargo carriers from the Federal mandate to arm pilots in a bill 
intended to enhance the pilot's ability to protect the airplane.
  I feel that this back-room deal defies the initial intent of the bill 
and the will of our Congress. This body voted overwhelmingly to mandate 
firearms for all airplane pilots, not just those in the passenger 
service. We displayed our bipartisan support for this mandate with 
votes of 310 to 113 in the House and 87 to 6 in the Senate.
  Mr. Speaker, it is time to fix this disparity and close the loophole 
once and for all so that all pilots in this country enjoy the same 
level of security.

                          ____________________