Susan Collins: “this is an attempt to find middle ground on a very difficult issue. The amendment that I and my colleagues offer the…”

“this is an attempt to find middle ground on a very difficult issue. The amendment that I and my colleagues offer the Senate would provide TSA employees with the right to appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board any adverse action taken against them. Those rights would be identical to the rights that other Federal employees have. It would give them the protections of the Whistleblowers Protection Act. It recognizes that TSA employees have the right to join a union, and it calls for us to revisit this issue in a year by having a report from TSA and the GAO. I think this helps give more rights and employment protections to TSA employees without impeding the necessary flexibility that TSA needs to have for our security. I urge support of the amendment.”