James Oberstar: “This is not a half a loaf. This is virtually the whole loaf. To be sure, it does not include the original language of…”

“This is not a half a loaf. This is virtually the whole loaf. To be sure, it does not include the original language of the bill to establish within the Executive Office of the President an entity to coordinate, but neither did we achieve that objective in the Aviation Security Legislation of 1990 after the report of our Presidential commission established by President Bush. When we reported to the President the recommendation to establish within the Department of Transportation a new office, a new assistant Secretary, the President's response was that is really the prerogative, the privilege of the executive branch to establish such new authorities. We acknowledge that is the prerogative of the executive. When the Office of Management and Budget in this context raised the same question, what we did was get together and ask how can we achieve the same objective and not transgress into what is appropriately executive branch prerogatives.”