TSA Claims It Is Above Congressional Oversight

							TSA Claims It Is Above Congressional
Oversight
Steve Watson
Infowars.com
Nov 28, 2012




Agency head refuses to appear at transportation hearing
The TSA has refused to attend a House Transportation hearing this week, with agency head John
Pistole personally refusing to appear and declaring that the Congressional Committee has “no
jurisdiction over the TSA”.
The hearing, schedule for Thursday, will be held by the Subcommittee on Aviation, a part of the House
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (TIC). It is titled HOW BEST TO IMPROVE OUR
NATION’S AIRPORT PASSENGER SECURITY SYSTEM THROUGH COMMON SENSE SOLUTIONS.
Headed by Rep. Thomas Petri, it will “examine the impact that the regulations and policies of the
Transportation Security Administration have on aviation passenger experience and the free flow of
aviation commerce,” according to a brief on the subcommittee’s website (PDF).
The TIC’s website indicates that TSA head John Pistole has been asked to testify at the hearing.
However, a statement issued on the TSA’s website made it clear that neither Pistole, nor any TSA
official intends to attend the hearing.
The statement reads:
     By U.S. House of Representatives rules which state that the Transportation and
     Infrastructure Committee has no jurisdiction over the Transportation Security
     Administration (TSA), no representative from TSA will be present at the Subcommittee on
     Aviation hearing scheduled for Nov. 29.

     TSA will continue to work with its committees of jurisdiction to pursue effective and
     efficient security solutions. In the 112th Congress alone, TSA witnesses have testified at 38
     hearings and provided 425 briefings for Members of Congress.
                                                                   TSA also continues to work to
                                                                   enhance security screening
                                                                   measures and to improve the
                                                                   passenger experience
                                                                   including through the
                                                                   expansion of TSA Pre?™. As
                                                                   part of its risk-based security
                                                                   initiatives, TSA has modified
                                                                   screening procedures for
                                                                   passengers 12 and under and
                                                                   75 and older while pursuing a
                                                                   multi-layered approach to
                                                                   security that includes behavior
                                                                   detection officers, explosives-
                                                                   detection systems and federal
      air marshals, among other measures both seen and unseen.

House Republicans on the TIC have made it clear that they believe the TSA is in dire need of reform. A
section on the Committee’s website describes the TSA as “a massive, inflexible, backward-looking
bureaucracy of more than 65,000.”
“TSA is a top-heavy agency in need of reform,” the site also states.
The TIC is currently headed by Rep. John Mica, a consistent critic of the TSA, who has pushed for
airports to ditch the agency and replace it with private security screeners. Mica, who wrote the
legislation that established the TSA, recently
declared the agency to be a miserable failure. In the
next Congress, Mica will make way for
Pennsylvania Rep. Bill Shuster. When asked by
reporters for a reaction on the TSA’s refusal to
testify at Thursday’s hearing, and the agency’s
declaration that it is not beholden to the Committee,
Shuster said “I don’t think we have direct
jurisdiction but when they impede commerce, when
they impede the traveling public, they need to
answer to the committee.” Speaking to Bloomberg
News, Shuster said he “absolutely” expects TSA
officials to appear at transportation committee
hearings. Asked what will happen if they refuse to
testify, Shuster said: “We’ll cross that bridge when
we get there.” With public backlash against the TSA
at an all time high, and given the scrutiny that the
TSA has faced at the hands of the TIC and its
subcommittees, it is somewhat unsurprising that
agency head Pistole is no longer willing to face the
music as it were.


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