The Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general testified Tuesday that long lines and missed flights around the country forced the Transportation Security Administration, “for the first time in memory,” to start “critically assessing its deficiencies in an honest and objective light.”
Inspector General John Roth told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee also said TSA has worked to improve its performance after a number of troubling audits. His written testimony listed “issues with TSA’s stewardship of taxpayer dollars,” poor background check credentials for employees granted unescorted access to secure areas, and a failure to use “staff and resources efficiently.”
He reported that the significant delays at checkpoints at airports across the country were the result of TSA miscalculating the number of screeners necessary, and greatly reducing its workforce despite increasing traveler volume. Though Roth testified current reform efforts should help to reduce long lines, he said, “the nature of terrorism means that each and every passenger must be screened in some way.”
Committee Chairman Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said Tuesday that the chief problem facing the agency is that maximizing security and screening efficiency are “two contradictory goals.”
“On the one hand, we want efficient throughput so we get passengers to their flights on time, and at the same time we need 100 percent security,” said Johnson said.
Ranking member Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., said TSA must find a way to strike “the right balance between security and convenience.”
One proposed remedy is the TSA PreCheck Expansion Act, which is designed expedite the screening process by passengers providing the government information before they arrive at the airport.
Jennifer Grover, Director of the Government Accountability Office’s Homeland Security and Justice team, testified that “TSA has taken positive steps to improve the effectiveness of its expedited screening programs, though these changes likely contribute to today’s long screening lines.” Though Grover said the agency has made progress, she concluded more work remains to be done to ensure screeners are carrying out their tasks accurately.
