Today, U.S. Rep. Peter T. King (R-NY), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation Security, announced that the Committee is beginning the process to move a TSA Authorization bill.
The Committee on Homeland Security has sole jurisdiction over all TSA security matters.
In a notification letter to TSA Administrator John Pistole, King and Rogers wrote that the legislation will “address the need for fundamental reform at TSA by streamlining programs, cutting wasteful spending, increasing effectiveness through partnering with other law enforcement agencies and the private sector, and strengthening your mission.”
The signed letter is available at the Committee on Homeland Security website.
The text of the letter sent to Administrator Pistole follows:
April 15, 2011
The Honorable John S. Pistole Administrator Transportation Security Administration 601 South 12th Street Arlington, VA 20598
Dear Administrator Pistole:
We write to inform you that the House Committee on Homeland Security intends to immediately begin the legislative process to move an authorization bill for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). We look forward to working with you and would sincerely appreciate your assistance and insight as we embark on this process.
Ensuring the security of our Nation’s vast and diverse transportation systems is a challenging task. We fully appreciate the demanding nature of your agency’s mission. Under your direction, TSA has made tangible improvements in becoming more of a counterterrorism agency and better utilizing its resources. However, obvious challenges remain.
In our TSA authorization bill, we plan to address the need for fundamental reform at TSA by streamlining programs, cutting wasteful spending, increasing effectiveness through partnering with other law enforcement agencies and the private sector, and strengthening your mission. We strongly believe that the evolving nature of the threat against our transportation systems has led to a growing need for TSA to better target its resources and operate in a more intelligence-driven and risk-based manner. We look forward to partnering with you in this effort.
Thank you for your prompt and personal attention to this request. We look forward to continuing to work with you to ensure the security of our Nation’s transportation systems.
Sincerely,
PETER T. KING MIKE ROGERS Chairman Chairman Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation Security
