The federal auditors acknowledged improvement under the new TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger, who admitted failures and pledged reforms.
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A report released by the Government Accountability Office suggested there was no solid proof the Transportation Security Administration’s screening methods are effective.
“The test results were disappointing and troubling”, Inspector General John Roth told the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Grover’s GAO office released a separate report Tuesday that found TSA is failing in three areas: implementing new technology such as body scanners; measuring whether programs such as no-fly lists are working and using data to improve detection programs that include bomb-sniffing dogs. Chaffetz asked. “That’s the penalty?”
Neffenger maintained that he is committed to reforming the agency with more training, and mentioned bringing in canine units to compensate for human error. Successful applicants will receive a TSA “Known Traveler Number”, or KTN, which should be entered when booking flight reservations, either online, by phone to an airline reservation center, or with travel agents.
But Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., said he’s convinced the system can not be fixed. He suggested the TSA should “get out of the personnel business” to cut overhead at the agency and let it fully focus on closing security gaps.
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Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the GOP-led committee, said the TSA is “responding with urgency” but the work is “far from complete”. “And when I say that, I mean pitiful”, Lynch said. The TSA has both safety and speed in mind, but they say safety has to come first. That is surprisingly important for a front-line workforce to hear. It may seem simple, but that is the most powerful thing you can tell somebody: “what you do is important, and it’s so important that I’m going to spend every waking moment paying attention to getting that done”. A house committee began a hearing Tuesday on TSA’s alleged shortcomings.
