James Oberstar: “Mr. Chairman, we have the best military in the world, the best law enforcement agencies and the best firefighters. All…”

“Mr. Chairman, we have the best military in the world, the best law enforcement agencies and the best firefighters. All of these are government-run organizations that successfully protect the public. And the public deserves the government's full protection and commitment at our nation's airports. Our airport security system is tragically and fatally flawed. We don't need to patch it up. We don't need to continue the status quo. Some have attacked federalization of airport security because it could potentially create a union. Those who make this argument forget that roughly 400 union members died at the World Trade Center. These union members and their union-member colleagues who survived helped save up to 20,000 lives. Even the administration wants the other side to stop attacking public employees in this debate. Working men and women aren't the problem. And tweaking the existing system isn't the solution. Like the military--protection of air travel should be done by federal employees.”