James Oberstar: “Mr. Speaker, the homeland security bill has a number of problems with it that invite my opposition. First, it has…”

“Mr. Speaker, the homeland security bill has a number of problems with it that invite my opposition. First, it has aviation provisions that will diminish security and safety. It will give inequitable benefits to airlines and private security companies. It extends the current deadline for screening all checked baggage for explosives, with the most modern explosive detection systems. Rather than encouraging delay, we ought to be pushing the Transportation Security Administration to meet existing deadlines. We should force TSA to use equipment that is now sitting in warehouses and give them the funding they need to acquire that equipment and meet the deadline rather than extend the deadline. The bill requires TSA to allow unlimited numbers of pilots to carry guns. The Bush administration, their Secretary of Transportation, the Transportation Security Administration agree with me that there are many unanswered questions about widespread arming of pilots, whether that would create more safety hazards than security benefits. There should be no more than a trial program until these issues are resolved with a very small number of pilots.”