James Oberstar: “I share the objective of the distinguished chairman to get to an early resolution. I do have to cite some misconceptions…”

“I share the objective of the distinguished chairman to get to an early resolution. I do have to cite some misconceptions about the number of screeners that would be required in the proposal that I offer on behalf of the Members on our side and the committee. The number of 30,000-some people is just way beyond any imaginable number. The Congressional Budget Office number of 16,200 screeners is followed by a recitation of a whole series of supervisory personnel that totals 7,000 supervisors for 16,000 screeners. Maybe that is what they need in the private sector, but it is certainly not what we need in the public sector. That is simply not necessary. The distinguishing feature of the private sector approach is the profit that those companies have to make on each of those 23,000 or 31,000, whatever the number is. It kept getting inflated last week. Furthermore, this so-called good system, in the private screeners, there are 1,700 civil penalties assessed against the airlines and their screening companies over the last 5 years for a total of $8 million in fines. The system failed.”