“This bill helps TSA buy newer airport screening equipment faster. That is a good goal, but the bill does not pay for this new equipment. I worry it will lead to pay and benefit cuts for TSA workers. We must support the workers who use this equipment, not just buy new machines.”
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, since the Transportation Security Administration was created after the 9/11 attacks, the agency has been working to deploy the latest innovative security screening technology to ensure prohibited items carried inside bags and on individuals do not make it past a security checkpoint and onto an aircraft. However, with thousands of TSA screening lanes across the country in need of technology, Congress has at times struggled to provide funding to recapitalize technology expeditiously across all airports. H.R. 8770, the SAFEGUARDS Act, would ensure there are increased dedicated funds available to TSA to procure the latest screening technology so that the agency can replace aging technology deployed at airports at a more rapid pace. Although speeding up the deployment of new screening technology is an important goal, I do have some reservations about the bill. The increased investments in technology are not paid for, and I am concerned that these increases could result in cuts to funding for TSA workforce salaries and benefits if TSA’s overall budget does not increase. Although the bill does contain language reinforcing the sense of Congress that diversions of passenger security fees away from TSA’s coffers should end, the bill does not actually do anything to end those diversions sooner than already scheduled under current law or otherwise to bring in more money to TSA. House Democrats have long been supportive of investments in new and innovative security technologies, but we must also make sure that we are supporting the workforce that operates those technologies. To start, the House should take up Ranking Member Thompson’s bill, H.R. 2086, the Rights for the TSA Workforce Act, which would codify fair pay and collective bargaining rights for this critical workforce. This bill has more than 185 bipartisan cosponsors, and the Republican majority should bring it to this floor. In the meantime, I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, as well as our colleagues in the Senate, to ensure that the SAFEGUARDS Act, if enacted, drives investments in technology without causing cuts to pay, benefits, or staffing at TSA. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, since the Transportation Security Administration was created after the 9/11 attacks, the agency has been working to deploy the latest innovative security screening technology to ensure prohibited items carried inside bags and on individuals do not make it past a security checkpoint and onto an aircraft. However, with thousands of TSA screening lanes across the country in need of technology, Congress has at times struggled to provide funding to recapitalize technology expeditiously across all airports. H.R. 8770, the SAFEGUARDS Act, would ensure there are increased dedicated funds available to TSA to procure the latest screening technology so that the agency can replace aging technology deployed at airports at a more rapid pace. Although speeding up the deployment of new screening technology is an important goal, I do have some reservations about the bill. The increased investments in technology are not paid for, and I am concerned that these increases could result in cuts to funding for TSA workforce salaries and benefits if TSA’s overall budget does not increase. Although the bill does contain language reinforcing the sense of Congress that diversions of passenger security fees away from TSA’s coffers should end, the bill does not actually do anything to end those diversions sooner than already scheduled under current law or otherwise to bring in more money to TSA. House Democrats have long been supportive of investments in new and innovative security technologies, but we must also make sure that we are supporting the workforce that operates those technologies. To start, the House should take up Ranking Member Thompson’s bill, H.R. 2086, the Rights for the TSA Workforce Act, which would codify fair pay and collective bargaining rights for this critical workforce. This bill has more than 185 bipartisan cosponsors, and the Republican majority should bring it to this floor. In the meantime, I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, as well as our colleagues in the Senate, to ensure that the SAFEGUARDS Act, if enacted, drives investments in technology without causing cuts to pay, benefits, or staffing at TSA. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.