On the recordJune 2, 2011
I thank the chairman of the committee and the ranking member. Mr. Chairman, this is a very challenging process that we are going through. It is challenging because we are addressing homeland security in the backdrop of the crisis in Libya, of the Arab Spring, of the demise and end of Osama bin Laden by the brilliance of the Navy SEALs, of the intelligence community, of President Obama, and of course in the backdrop of domestic disasters: from Texas fires to tornadoes from New England to Alabama to Missouri. But there is something that we can do. We can recognize that there was no appointment made for 9/11. No notice was given to us on 9/11. There were indicators of individuals learning to fly or to take off but not landing. So post-9/11 we came up with the enhanced concept of ensuring that we had Federal Air Marshals. I'm glad for that. Yet I think it is important now, in the neighborhood that we're living in, in the climate that we're living in and in the interests of terrorists--lone wolves, franchise terrorists--to attack our mobility or transit systems, which include aviation, for us to focus on ensuring that there is no undermining of the utilization strategically of air marshals to protect the American public. I can just cite, Mr. Chairman, the incidences that have occurred in the backdrop of Libya: individuals domestically charging the pilot door, passengers having to bring down disturbed individuals.…
