U.S. Reps. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) and Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) joined U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-SD) in urging the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to rescind an amendment that requires airports, rather than the TSA, to implement an employee screening policy without any financial support.
“Safe and secure air travel is paramount for the public and must always be the top priority. We recognize unscreened aviation workers pose a potential security risk and agree it must be adequately addressed,” wrote the lawmakers in an Oct. 10 letter sent to TSA Administrator David Pekoske. “However, it must be done practically without unduly burdening small, rural airports.”
Earlier this year, the TSA issued its Airport Security Program National Amendment requiring airport operators to implement random physical screenings of aviation workers. And while the TSA delayed its implementation by one year, the Republicans said the National Amendment remains highly challenging for small airports to implement.
“It is a step in the right direction, but we remain highly concerned over the long-term,” they wrote. “The National Amendment places burdensome requirements upon small, rural airports and calls into question its implementation’s feasibility, regardless of the modified timeline.”
In their letter, the members also wrote that the screening requirements mandated under the National Amendment reach beyond the current abilities of small airports, as well as their budgets.
“While we share your commitment to advancing aviation security, the National Amendment goes well beyond the scope of our airports’ security programs and current capabilities,” they wrote. “It would mandate redundant and onerous screenings, requiring our airports to recreate the individual screening process TSA screening officers are already trained for, have equipment for, have expertise in, and, most importantly, are already performing.”
Additionally, the congressional members wrote that the amendment equates to an unfunded mandate, noting that airports in their states estimate that the requirements will cost over $1 million to develop, implement, and operate, putting unnecessary strain on their already-limited revenue sources.
“Given the outstanding challenges faced by our airports in implementing screening processes mandated under this National Amendment, we believe the TSA is better suited to implement aviation worker screening,” they wrote. “We respectfully request the TSA provide long-term certainty by rescinding its National Amendment and retaining aviation worker screenings as the sole responsibility of the TSA.”
U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) also signed the letter.