Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, my amendment is simple. It prioritizes national security at TSA. I have concerns about the underlying bill, including its expansion of collective bargaining that could put our national security at risk by subjecting new procedures or requirements imposed by the Administrator of the TSA to collective bargaining. This amendment, like I said, is simple. It would just clarify that the Administrator of TSA is not limited in his or her ability to swiftly respond to national security and/or public safety threats under this bill. Specifically, the amendment ensures that any procedures or requirements shall not be constrained by collective bargaining. The very nature of airport security requires that TSA remain agile and flexible to new and emerging threats. It is for this very reason that Congress exempted TSA from title 5 when it stood up the agency just two months after the terrorist attacks on 9/11. It is imperative that the Administrator continues to have the authority to swiftly make these changes to ensure public safety in response to national security threats and risks. Now, this amendment would ensure that the Administrator does not have to negotiate with union representatives whenever changes would impact the TSA workforce regardless of the national security implications.…”