[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6165]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     BIG GOVERNMENT: TSA'S FAILURES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Poe) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, early in 2015, the Department of 
Homeland Security removed the TSA Director and Administrator after it 
was revealed that banned items made it through screening in different 
parts of our airports throughout the United States.
  This didn't happen once or twice, but it happened 67 times out of 70 
tries. That is a 90 percent failure rate. Any business would be out of 
business if it failed 90 percent of the time to do what it is supposed 
to do.
  We are not talking about selling goods and services. We are talking 
about security--American security. But TSA is a government agency, so, 
to me, accountability doesn't seem to be a priority.
  After this fiasco in 2015, the Administrator was replaced with a new 
Administrator. I don't know that security is better or not--maybe it 
is--but we do know that the lines are longer and TSA efficiency is 
questionable.
  To find that out, just go to any of our airports and try to travel. 
Travelers are faced with wait times in excess of 3 hours just to get 
through security. Flights are missed and flights are delayed because of 
the security chokepoint. It is ironic that people wait in line longer 
than it takes them to fly from point A to point B. Security lines 
should not take longer than the flight itself, but that is happening in 
our airports.
  The TSA Director blames the passengers for the delays. So it is not 
TSA's fault; it is the flying public's fault for the long lines and 
delays?
  The cost to American taxpayers for TSA is $7 billion a year. Are we 
safer, better off, and more secure because of this massive government 
bureaucracy? Americans need to answer that question.
  TSA must also work on its treatment of passengers. I constantly hear 
in my congressional office from people who travel about the way they 
are treated by government employees at TSA when they try to go through 
security.
  Now, I know a lot of TSA employees. Some of those in Houston are 
wonderful people. Yet some TSA employees are rude, demeaning, and 
disrespectful to the travelers. That has got to stop. There is no 
excuse for it. Flying has become torturous for some travelers because 
of TSA.
  Homeland Security must figure out a better way to protect and serve 
the people, the flying public, without causing people to miss their 
flights. Maybe TSA should use trained dogs before and after the 
security points to help check for explosives--I am not sure the 
answer--but change the current model because it is not working.
  This issue must be fixed, and the issue is not to blame the fliers. 
The issue is TSA needs to respond to this issue. There are airports all 
over the world that screen passengers. Maybe TSA could learn something 
from some of these other airports about efficiency and security. This 
problem must be fixed, and the answer is not to blame the Americans who 
travel and blame them for waiting in line for 3 hours to catch a plane 
that flies only 1 hour.
  Airports should strongly consider moving to private screeners. The 
law allows this to happen, Mr. Speaker, but the law requires that, if 
an airport wants to use private screening companies, they must get the 
Department of Homeland Security's approval to use that screening 
company over TSA. That is an issue in itself. But the answer is not to 
continue having the same issues and problems that we now face.
  People who travel a lot and travel rarely, when they talk about their 
traveling experience, one thing they seem to always mention is the way 
they have to go through screening and the way they are treated by TSA. 
Remember, a 90 percent failure rate is not acceptable.
  The security must be better, and people must be treated better, 
because that is just the way it is.

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