On the recordNovember 28, 2001
Reclaiming my time, the sky marshal program was established by President Nixon by executive order issued on September 11, 1970, with funds appropriated not out of the airport and airways trust fund, not out of an aviation account, but out of a separate account dedicated to fund the sky marshal program. That program ramped up to a few thousand sky marshals, and then gradually dwindled down. When the $40 billion was appropriated in the aftermath of September 11, the Secretary of Transportation made it clear that the funding initially of the sky marshal program, the ramping up of the program would come out of that $20 billion, and we do not see any reason to raid the trust fund in order to do that. The Secretary made a commitment, and I think the purpose is very clear. The Committee on Appropriations has so many demands on the $20 billion, it does not want to exceed its $20 billion, and dipped into the trust fund to do so.
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