Transportation Security Administration Authorization Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Chairman, I thank Chairman LYNCH for his great work in identifying this as a challenge.

We have so many great men and women who serve at the TSA on the front lines. They are dealing with literally tens of thousands of people at a time, some of whom inevitably are going to be sick. It seems reasonable to me that we should put first and foremost the protection and the safety and the consideration of those TSA employees so that, if they choose to don a mask or to put on gloves to protect themselves and consequently to protect their loved ones and their livelihoods, we should afford them that opportunity.

We saw in the committee hearing that there was a great deal of confusion with the TSA. This amendment, which I appreciate that Mr. Lynch has brought forward, helps clarify that so there is no ambiguity and so we can make sure that the TSA employees can have the safety and security that they deserve.

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Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Chairman, I would like to yield myself as much time as I need.

Whole-body imaging does exactly what it's going to do. It takes a 360-degree image of your body. Now, I want to have as much safety and security on the airplanes I'm flying every week, but there comes a point in which in the name and safety and security we overstep that line and we have an invasion of privacy. This happens to be one of those invasions of privacy.

Now I understand why the gentleman from California expressed his concern. Let me be clear that this amendment on whole-body imaging only limits primary screening. It can be used for secondary screening. You may get people with artificial hips or knees or something else, and they may elect this kind of screening. It's perfect for them.

But to suggest that every single American--that my wife, my 8-year-old daughter--needs to be subjected to this, I think, is just absolutely wrong. Now, the technology will actually blur out your face. The reason it does this is because there is such great specificity on their face, that they have to do that for some privacy. But down in other, more limited parts you could see specifics with a degree of certainty that, according to the TSA as quoted in USA Today, ``You could actually see the sweat on somebody's back.'' They can tell the difference between a dime and a nickel. If they can do that, they can see things that, quite frankly, I don't think they should be looking at in order to secure a plane. You don't need to look at my wife and 8-year-old daughter naked in order to secure that airplane.

Some people say there is radio communication. There is distance. Well, it's just as easy to say there is a celebrity or some Member of Congress or some weird-looking person. There is communication.

You say you can't record the devices. Many of us have mobile phones or have these little cameras. There is nothing in this technology that would prohibit the recording of these. With 45,000 good, hardworking TSA employees, 450 airports, some two million air traffic travelers a day, there is inevitably going to be a breach of security. And I want our planes to be as safe and secure as we can, but at the same time, we cannot overstep that bound and have this invasion of privacy.

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