Aviation securityBattle over private airport security screeners rages on

Published 17 March 2011

Republican lawmakers launched a fresh set of attacks against the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in the continuing dispute over the private security screener program; Representative John Mica accused the TSA of inflating cost estimates of the private security screener program in an attempt to end it; the charges come after a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report was released that found private security screeners would cost just 3 percent more; in 2007 TSA published a study that found using private screeners would cost 17 percent more

Republican lawmakers launched a fresh set of attacks against the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in the continuing dispute over the private security screener program.

Republican Representative John Mica, the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure committee, accused the TSA of inflating cost estimates of the private security screener program in an attempt to end it.

It’s obvious they tried to cook the books to make it look like the private screening under federal supervision was more expensive,” Representative Mica said.

 

Mica, a staunch advocate for the private security screeners program, continued, “I’ll spend any amount of money to make sure the country is safe or passengers are safe or the airline industry is safe. But what I want is the best performance.”

The latest exchanges come after a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report was released that said private security screeners would cost just 3 percent more.

In 2007 TSA published a study that found using private screeners would cost 17 percent more than a federal workforce.

According to Nicholas Kimball, a spokesman for TSA, cost estimates for the private security program have been revised since GAO raised concerns in 2009. He maintained that “private screening contracts on average cost the government more than a federalized workforce.”

In January, TSA Administrator John Pistole announced the suspension of the private security screener program.

In statement Pistole said, TSA has “examined the contractor screening program and decided not to expand the program beyond the current 16 airports as I do not see any clear or substantial advantage to do so at this time.”

Under the program, airports had the option to use TSA screeners at security checkpoints or a private contractor. The private contractors were selected, trained, paid, and supervised by TSA and required to follow the same guidelines.

Currently only a handful of airports across the country including San Francisco, Kansas City, and Jackson Hole use private security screeners.

Representative Mica insists that private screeners perform better.

In previous remarks, Mica stated, “The private screening under federal supervision works and performs statistically, significantly better. So our main purpose here is in getting better screening and better performance, not to mention that we can get better cost for taxpayers.”

Contrary to Mica’s claims a GAO study found that it “did not notice any difference” between the two programs during covert checkpoint testing in 2007. GAO concluded that both failed to find concealed bomb components.

Kimball said that the private security program will not be expanded beyond the existing sixteen airports “unless there are clear and substantial advantages to do so.”