Nominations Hearing - Ranking Member Bill Nelson Opening Statement

Statement

We have two nominees before the committee today who have been nominated for positions at critical transportation organizations -- the Surface Transportation Board and the Amtrak Board of Directors.

Both these nominees may eventually deal with an issue that is critically important to my home state. Florida is still working to restore the Amtrak service along the Gulf Coast that was shut down after Hurricane Katrina. This line serviced two million people from Florida to Louisiana and has an impact on our tourism industry. I look forward to hearing their views on restoring the Gulf Coast rail service.

Another important issue is positive train control implementation. It is critical that we do everything we need to make sure that railroads are on track to meet the 2018 deadline. I hope to hear Mr. Dearborn's views today on Amtrak's progress.

I look forward to hearing from our two witnesses today, but first I must address a critical matter that falls within the purview of this committee.

One of the most important issues this committee oversees is transportation security, which is jeopardized by the recent decision by the Department of Justice and the State Department to settle a three-year-long legal battle to prevent the publication of blueprints on how to make 3D printed guns, including AR-15s, online for the public to download.

The administration's decision paves the way for the publication of these blueprints online on August 1--just a week from today. Once those blueprints are posted on the Internet, it'll be impossible to pull them back.

We can't overstate the danger presented by 3D printed guns, many of which may evade detection by our current security screening systems.

Let me be blunt about this: Somebody could come into this building--and sit in this hearing room--and have a gun, and we wouldn't know about it. People could walk onto airplanes and have plastic guns--and we wouldn't know about it.

We talk about "hardening" schools, "hardening" airports, "hardening" public spaces--but all of that is meaningless if a deranged individual can get past the metal detectors with a plastic gun.

If this settlement is allowed to go through, we will see a fundamental shift in American safety and security.

Mr. Chairman, I ask that this committee immediately hold a hearing on this issue. We should hear directly from the TSA on the dangers posed by 3D-printed plastic guns at airports and on aviation security generally. Time is of the essence.

And with that, I conclude my remarks for today's hearing.

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