Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee Joins With The Call For An Investigation Into FAA Incident

Press Release

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, a Senior Member of the House Homeland Security Committee and currently Ranking Member of the Border and Maritime Security Subcommittee and former Chairwoman of the Transportation Security Subcommittee, released the following statement regarding the recent security breach at the FAA center at an Aurora, Illinois radar center last week:

"Four days after a blaze allegedly set by contract worker Brian Howard destroyed the communications center at the critical air traffic control center outside Chicago, commercial aviation is still trying to regain its footing. At Chicago's O'Hare Airport, more than 550 flights were cancelled Sunday, 700 flights nationwide. I am calling for immediate Congressional hearings and a new security assessment for contract employees in sensitive areas where security may be breached, where major aviation disruption may occur and where lives may be in jeopardy.

"We all understand the traveling public's frustrations with flight delays and cancellations. The air transportation system is vital to our economy and can be vulnerable to security breaches. We have to make it a top priority because people rely on it to function 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I want to make sure that we have the most robust contingency plans possible. Congress stands ready to make immediate changes in relations to what happened last Friday to improve the system. ."

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