Hearing of the House Transportation Security Subcommittee of the Homeland Security Committee - A Review of Access Control Measures at Our Nation's Airports, Part II

Hearing

Today, Committee on Homeland Security Ranking Member Bennie G.
Thompson (D-MS) delivered the following prepared remarks for the Transportation Security
subcommittee hearing entitled "A Review of Access Control Measures at Our Nation's Airports, Part
II":

"This is the second Subcommittee hearing on airport access control measures. At our first hearing
on this issue in February, I stated that each airport presents a unique set of security issues. While I
understand the need for vendors and airline employees to access various areas of the airport to do
their jobs, I also understand the need to maintain security. That is why all airline and airport workers
with unescorted access to areas beyond the checkpoint must successfully complete terrorism and
criminal background checks.

At many airports, these vetted workers use their Secure Identification Display Area (SIDA) badges to
bypass TSA security screening to get to their workplace--which happens to be on the other side of
the TSA checkpoint. In most cases, granting vetted airport personnel such access to the sterile side
of the airport is beneficial to airport operations and the flying public.

However, in December 2014, we learned of an alarming instance of SIDA badge misuse. Individuals
were charged with smuggling over 150 guns from Atlanta to New York City aboard commercial
flights. It seems that one of the gun smugglers used his SIDA badge to bypass physical screening to
pass the weapons to a co-conspirator on the sterile side of the airport. After this incident, TSA asked
the Aviation Security Advisory Committee to reevaluate airport employee screening protocols.
Involving the ASAC was a good decision by Acting Administrator.

The ASAC is comprised of stakeholders within the aviation community who have a deep knowledge
of the inner-workings of our nation's airports and have valuable insights to offer on how to implement
security efforts in a way that does not unduly disrupt or interfere with airport operations. Last year, I
was pleased that the President signed into law a measure that I authored--the "Aviation Security
Stakeholder Participation Act of 2014" - to authorize this important advisory committee.

I am pleased that the ASAC acted, and in its 90-day review, set forth a number of considerations
and approaches to address potential airport security vulnerabilities. The ASAC made a total of 28
recommendations. Among them was a recommendation that TSA strengthen the vetting procedures
when screening employees. It also recommended that TSA maintain a database of all employees
who have had credentials revoked.

For quite sometime, I have often questioned TSA about its recordkeeping of lost and revoked
credentials. Together with Ranking Member Rice, I have asked the Government Accountability
Office to look into this. I am looking forward to learning how TSA plans on addressing this matter.

The ASAC also recommended that airports limit the number of access points into sterile areas and
restrict access privileges when not needed and that airports enhance auditing practices for issued
badges. I look forward to hearing Mr. Grossman's perspective, as an airport official, on this
recommendation as he testifies on the second panel today.

Furthermore, the ASAC recommended that TSA improve its insider threat program. While there is a
case to be made for such enhancements, often with such programs, the devil is in the details. It is
critical that TSA's insider threat program have strong protections to ensure that the program cannot
be exploited to abuse, improperly target or retaliate against airport workers.

I was pleased that DHS took timely action, in response to the ASAC recommendations. Within days,
DHS Secretary Johnson took immediate actions to enhance aviation security. These actions include
screening of airport employees when they travel as passengers and increasing randomization
screenings of aviation employees.

Secretary Johnson also directed TSA to work towards requiring recurrent criminal history records
checks for SIDA badge holders. While these are steps in the right direction, tough questions remain
about the internal controls at our nation's airports and whether meaningful progress can be made to
address known access control vulnerabilities.

Airport security is a shared concern, and we must work across the aisle to make sure that we strike
the right balance at our nation's airports to protect the American flying public and our critical aviation
infrastructure, while ensuring the free flow of commerce and people. I look forward to continued work
with this Subcommittee, the ASAC, and TSA to ensure the layers of security are as strong as they
should be."

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