Hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee - Full Committee Markup

Hearing

Today, Committee on Homeland Security Ranking Member Bennie
G. Thompson (D-MS) delivered the following prepared remarks for the full Committee markup:

"I am pleased that the Committee is meeting to consider a roster of amendments that address the
Committee's oversight findings, particularly with respect to border and transportation security. While
many of the bills on the roster today are probably very familiar to the panel, there are some new bills.

H.R. 2770, the "Keeping our Travelers Safe and Secure Act," was introduced by Representative
Rice, the Ranking Member of the Transportation Security Subcommittee, in response to a disturbing
Inspector General report on the maintenance of TSA's checkpoint equipment. In May, the Inspector
General reported that because TSA "did not properly manage the maintenance of its security-related
technology deployed to airports, it cannot be assured that routine preventive maintenance is
performed or that equipment is repaired and ready for operational use." Ranking Member Rice is to
be commended for acting swiftly and introducing legislation to direct TSA to develop and implement
a validation process for tracking preventative maintenance of checkpoint equipment.

Another new bill that we are considering today would address troubling oversight findings about
gaps in the scanning of high-risk rail cargo that crosses the border. In March, the Inspector General
reported that Customs and Border Protection was not appropriately scanning cargo that through its
own targeting was deemed "high risk". In response, Representative Vela, the Ranking Member of
the Border Security Subcommittee, introduced H.R. 2786, the "Cross-Border Rail Security Act of
2015." Consideration of H.R. 2786 is particularly timely, given heightened concern about rail safety
and security.

The last new bill that I will highlight is one that I introduced with the Chairman of the Transportation
Security Subcommittee, Mr. Katko, in response to a mountain of evidence about vulnerabilities in the
systems that TSA uses to decide who should get expedited screening. TSA, which has a goal of
providing expedited screening to half of the flying public, has come to rely on Managed Inclusion and
other processes to drive traffic to expedited screening lanes. However, we have learned, through
multiple GAO and Inspector General reports, that these are approaches are inherently risky. As
such, the time has come to wind them down.

I support the PreCheck program to provide known and vetted travelers alternate screening so more
attention can be focused on unknown travelers. With 1.8 million Americans flying every day, TSA
needs to do more to promote participation in the PreCheck program. Today, we will have the
opportunity to send that message to TSA when we consider H.R. 2843, legislation introduced a few
days ago by Mr. Katko. These four measures join the other six bills we will be considering today in
helping to further this Committee's record of legislative action on our oversight findings."

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