Cord Byrd: “this morning, October 17, the Washington Post reported that investigators from the Inspector General's Office of the…”

“this morning, October 17, the Washington Post reported that investigators from the Inspector General's Office of the Transportation Department and of the Federal Aviation Administration went to 14 airports over the past few days to test the ``improved'' safety standards at our nation's airports. What these Federal investigators found is unacceptable. At Dulles International Airport--where one of the planes involved in the September 11 terrorist attacks took off--seven baggage screeners failed a surprise written skills test. The screeners are supposed to pass such a test after completing the 12 hours of training that are a condition of employment. On a check at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport the same day, seven screeners were arrested by the Immigration and Naturalization Service when they were found to be working illegally in the United States. The Transportation Department said an unspecified number of screeners at some airports were found to have criminal records that should have disqualified them from their jobs. The Washington Post cited an example of a screener at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport who was removed from his post and lost his security badge after investigators learned that he had been convicted as a felon in possession of a handgun. During the check at Dulles, Federal investigators arrested a man who they said was able to walk through a security checkpoint with a concealed pocketknife--a felony.”