Ed Markey: “In this bill there are two provisions which have been blocked for 4 years by the White House and by Republican…”

“In this bill there are two provisions which have been blocked for 4 years by the White House and by Republican leadership. They are going to be included in this bill and passed this afternoon. One is to require that all cargo which is placed on passenger planes in the United States is screened so that there is no bomb, there is nothing that can lead to a catastrophic event in the air, does in fact pass through security. This is a huge change. Each of us has our bags screened, our shoes screened; but the cargo on that same plane placed next to our bags is not screened. This bill will make that possible. I have been working with Mr. Shays from Connecticut on this for the last 4 years. Today is a historic day. Secondly, there is an amendment in this bill which will ensure the screening of all ships, all cargo overseas before it departs for the United States to determine whether or not there is a nuclear bomb on that plane.”