[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 87 (Thursday, June 11, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1384-E1385]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION AUTHORIZATION ACT

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                               speech of

                           HON. RUSH D. HOLT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 4, 2009

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration of the bill (H.R. 2200) to 
     authorize the Transportation Security Administration's 
     programs relating to the provision of transportation 
     security, and for other purposes:

  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Chair, there are many worthy and needed provisions in 
this legislation. It authorizes a tripling of surface transportation 
security funding, to $15.6 billion. It requires the Transportation 
Security Administration to field at least 100 canine teams, which are 
absolutely critical to our bomb detection efforts. The bill creates a 
$10 million grant program for improving security measures at general 
aviation airports. These and many other provisions in the bill are 
laudable.
  Unfortunately, the bill includes a provision that would allow TSA at 
least two more years to achieve the congressionally-mandated goal of 
screening 100 percent of air cargo on passenger jets. Mr. Chair, we 
can't keep kicking this can down the road. The traveling public has 
been demanding for years that we close this major airline security gap. 
We said we would fulfill all the recommendations of the 
9/11 Commission. We haven't.
  If we give TSA two more years, two years from now TSA will say ``We 
need more time.'' Congress has supplied the money to achieve this goal. 
What we need from TSA is results-oriented leadership to get the job 
done. The best way to finish this job is to keep the existing deadline 
in place, which is why I could not

[[Page E1385]]

support this bill. I hope that we can improve this bill during any 
conference with the Senate or if it is included in a larger Homeland 
Security authorization bill by removing this two-year extension on 
meeting the cargo screening requirement.

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