TSA Modernization: Industry Perspectives on Key Security and Travel Reforms 25 Years After 9/11

Committee on Homeland Security will come to order. If I had objection, the chair may declare the committee in recess at any point. The purpose of today's hearing is to examine the operational realities, technological challenges facing the Transportation Security Administration, and the hearing and hear from the industry leaders on opportunities to modernize reform and strengthen TSA to best protect and secure our aviation sector. And I recognize myself for an opening statement. Good morning, and thank you to our witnesses for being here today. As we reflect on nearly twenty-five years since September eleventh terrorist attacks, today's hearing will focus on TSA modernization for travelers, with the perspective of leaders across the industry. First and foremost, we must recognize the impact that recent shutdowns have had on TSA's front-line workforce. Between the twenty-twenty-five and twenty-twenty-six shutdowns, Transportation security officers endured a total of a hundred and nineteen days impacted by shutdown conditions. That means TSA officers spent roughly forty percent of this fiscal year reporting to work without a paycheck while continuing to carry out carry out one of the most important security missions in the federal government. Despite the uncertainty and financial strain, these officers still showed up every day to protect the public and keep our aviation system secure. I also appreciated AFG President Doctor Everett Kelly speaking out in support of reopening the government and recognizing the serious consequences a shutdown has on TSA officers federal workers and the millions of Americans who rely on our aviation system every day. Thank you. Those challenges also serve as a reminder of why TSA's mission matters and why this agency was created in the first place. As a representative of New York, this issue is deeply personal to me. Both this committee and TSA were shaped by the lessons learned after September eleventh and the responsibility we carry to endure our country is never caught unprepared again. That is why today's conversation about TSA modernization and strengthening the agency for the future is so important. Our focus today is on modernizing an agency-facing and evolving threat landscape, record high passenger volumes, and lagging technological capabilities compared to our peers worldwide. Today's threat environment has changed drastically since TSA was created, and the security and efficiency of our travel system must keep pace with the increasingly sophisticated tools our adversaries leverage. The best security system is one that passengers barely notice, which requires seamless, accurate and effective security screening technology paired with a highly trained security workforce. TSA modernization is not about abandoning the rules of the past. It is about investing in the tools and partnerships of the future to achieve the best security outcomes and improve the traveler experience. One of the most important TSA modernization priorities is ending the diversion of the nine eleven passenger security fee revenue once and for all. Americans in Congress expected this fee to directly fund our aviation security system, but that is not the case. Nearly half of the fee's revenue go revenue goes to something else. Congress must restore the passenger security fee to its original intent and fund the next generation of screening technology that protects our people in the skies. That is why I'm proud proud to join Representative Strong's bipartisan safeguards act, co-led with Representative Kennedy, to end the security fee diversion and restore s- funding levels for aviation security capital, as well as new passenger security checkpoint technology. Committee is also exploring an expansion of the reimbursable reimbursable screening services program to provide airports with the flexibility to segment operational needs while keeping TSA at the forefront and maintaining top security standards. We're also looking to build upon the committee's prior work by expanding the one-stop security program to improve screening standards with partner countries preemptively assess security data and streamline the international inbound passenger experience without comp compromising security. These are examples of targeted improvements that will enhance the traveler experience while allowing TSA to remain agile effective and prepared to combat the threats of tomorrow. The TSA of the future must utilize the top security solutions that can respond to our adversaries and promote continued confidence in our aviation system. It is this committee's responsibility to ensure TSA has the authorities flexibility and oversight it needs to modernize effectively, while remaining accountable to the American people. Simply put, we cannot secure travel in a twenty-first century world with the twentieth century with the twentieth century tools and technologies. We must continue to build on the lessons learned in the twenty-five years since September eleventh the phrase " never forget" means more than remembrance. It means taking action, promoting accountability, and carrying the mission forward to protect our future and way of life. Look forward to hearing from our witnesses today. And with that, I yield to the ranking member for his opening statement.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm filling in this morning for ranking member Thompson, who sensed his regrets from Jackson, Mississippi, where he is rallying at this very moment for voting rights and fair representation. Ranking member Thompson has been a fierce advocate for TSA mission and workforce longer than any other member of this committee. And I know his commitment to those causes remains strong. Today, my committee of Republicans are launching an effort to modernize TSA to help advance the president's so-called golden age of travel. Sadly, all what glitters is not gold. His travel in the Trump administration has been less than a total success. Since Trump's return to office last year, here's a few examples. of what has happened in our travel system. Planes have collided over runways and fallen from our sky. A major airline has gone out of business. The Department of Homeland Security used taxpayer funds to purchase luxury dr- jets for executive travel. And our friends and allies around the world have issued travel warnings for visitors coming to United States because of the president's inhumane immigration crackdown. And even worse, the administration has repeatedly forced a government shutdown after a government shutdown to insist on maintaining an unaccountable, out of control, police force at ICE, leading to the longest TSA wait times in history. President Trump has also launched a reckless war by choice, which has led to massive spikes in cost of jet fuel and airline tickets. And at TSA, the administration has attempted to dismantle collective bargaining rights and has proposed forcing more than half the nation's airports to bring in private security, prioritizing profits over security. Clearly the "golden age of travel", as the president calls it, really means you need to have gold to travel. This Congress under Republican control and this committee has done very little TSA oversight, even as we embark on an effort to modernize TSA. And in fact, this committee has not held a single hearing or member briefing focused on TSA with TSA witnesses. The acting TSA administrator has twice appeared alongside other components at hearings with a broad T- DHA focus. And the subcommittee on Transportation, Maritime and Security held one TSA focused hearing with a non-government panel. And that's it. Since day one, the administration has executed a coordinated campaign to carry out its Project Twenty Twenty-Five agenda, which is to privatize TSA and sell its parts for profit. To start, the administration tried to ascend collective bargaining rights of TSA officers and cancel their legally binding contracts with TSA. Thankfully, Afci challenged the administration in court, which led to an injunction keeping the collective bargaining agreements in place. The administration then disobeyed the court order and attempted to revoke the contracts anyway. causing the judge to threaten to hold those officials in contempt, of course. Of court, and even worse, the administration forced two long unnecessary government shutdowns, pushing TSA workers to work without pay for months and months. As a result, workers left the agency in droves, not because they weren't committed to the mission, but because they felt the administration and Republicans in Congress weren't committed to them. For more than two months, Republicans refused to take up a bipartisan bill to fund TSA and other parts of DHS that would have passed easily, only to eventually pass that bill on the floor. TSOs are critical to our national security. They should not be used as political pawns. The administration's attack against TSA workforce threatened to undermine bipartisan efforts to improve TSA pay and address what we used to remember as a dangerously high level of attrition. In the President's budget request for fiscal year twenty twenty seven, TSA proposes requiring about two hundred and fifty small airports to bring in private security under the screening Screening Partnership Program or SPP. SPP was created in two thousand one to allow airports to voluntarily opt out of TSA screening, voluntarily opt out of that screening. When an airport applies and is approved to participate in the SPP, TSA contracts with a private vendor that conducts screening under TSA oversight. And private contractors must follow the same security procedures and maintain approximately the same staffing levels at TSA. But, however, they are only required to pay screeners a salary matching TSA's entry level pay. And that's the hook. Unlike the government, private companies must turn a profit to stay in business, so they build a profit margin by cutting workers' pay. down to the minimum. A TSA worker with twenty years' experience at an airport that joins SPP will be offered entry-level pay or be out of a job. So let's be clear folks, screening partnership program is built on cutting officers' pay. Consequently, SPP airports have a higher attrition rate and a less stable workforce. And at times, TSA has had to deploy TSO TSO officers from other airports to assist SPP airports because of this retention problem. And airports recognize the downsizing or the downsides of privatization. Over the last twenty-five years, airports have had the option to join SPP at any time, and only a small handful have done so. To try to entice airports to join SPP, TSA has recently rolled out a new expanded version of SPP called Gold Plus. After pitching the program to airports and private industry for months, without notifying Congress, during all these months, TSA finally notified Congress this program just last week. Under this so-called Gold Plus program, private security companies will be responsible for acquiring and maintaining screening technology equipment in addition to conducting screening, all paid for by cuts to officers' pay. But the fancy new technology promised by Gold Plus is dangerous and reckless. As all of you know, technology alone cannot replace the experience of people who make the security checkpoints work as they have been working for the past twenty-five years. The administration's proposal wou- would have us spending a record amount of money on immigration enforcement, border security, while creating a major gap a very dangerous gap of security at hotel air, excuse me, at airport checkpoints. Clearly, Republicans could invest in new TSA technology if they wanted to. But the truth is, this isn't really about saving money. It's about pushing an anti-government privatization ideology. Those who endorse the administration's attempt to privatize TSA are placing profits over their promise to never forget. And to meet this moment, Congress, we should reject proposals to mandate privatization and instead ensure SPP remains a voluntary program as it has been for years and years. And this committee should also advance ranking member Thompson's Right for the TSA Workforce Act, which the Chairman, Mister Garbarino, and myself have cosponsored. The rights for the TSA Workforce Act would provide TSA workers with full collective bargaining rights third-party appeals process and fair pay. The bill in the past has passed the House with bipartisan support. And it this bill today is needed more than ever. I look forward to hearing from the witnesses today, how now, how else we can support and strengthen the TSA workforce to ensure that it can continue to meet our nation's transportation security demands. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and with that, I yield.

Gentleman yields back and I thank you for bringing up the fact that the TSA administrator was here twice this year. I'm pretty sure that's uh pretty good oversight. Uh, it's May and She was here in January and March. I I don't know how often we can get her here, but uh I'll get her here again if if you didn't get all the questions.

We're not directly on TSA issues, sir.

Um, no, she was here to talk about TSA issues. Um, I mean, she's a TSA administrator. That's why we would have her here twice in five months. Just pointing that out for the record. Um, and I also the rec- the bills that I spoke about in the opening statement are all bipartisan bills just like the bipartisan bill that uh Chair, uh, Bank Member Thompson and I, I co-sponsored together with you.

We do hope that bill gets to the floor or not. So.

Okay. Other members of the committee are reminded that opening statements may be submitted for the record. I would now like to formally introduce our witnesses. Governor S- uh, Governor Christopher S- Sununu has served as the President and CEO of Airlines for America since September, twenty twenty five, where he has advocated on behalf of the nation's leading passenger and cargo airlines. In this role, he focuses on aviation safety, modernizing the air traffic control system, infrastructure investment, and coordination with key federal agencies, including TSA. Prior prior to joining A four A, he served as the eighty-second governor of New Hampshire. Mister Chris McLaughlin serves as the chief executive officer of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, overseeing its management, operations, planning and development as the third busiest commercial airport in the world. So McLaughlin previously served as executive vice president and chief operating officer at Denver International Airport. Prior to his work at airports, Mr. McLaughlin led TSA's Office of Security Operations, where he played a critical role in establishing the TSA pre-check program. Doctor Everard Kelly is the National President at the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union representing federal and DC uh government employees, a longtime union leader, army veteran, and ordained minister. He has served as AFGE National President since February, twenty twenty, And it's his third consecutive term, and again I wanna thank him for uh when the government was shut down to do what he could to to get it back open. It took a brave stand and he did a that was really good for your members, so thank you very much, Doctor Kelly. I wanna thank all the witnesses for being here today. Presumed to Committee Rule eight C, I ask that the witnesses please rise and raise their right hand. You solemnly swear that the testimony you will give before the Committee on Homeland Security of the United States House of Representatives will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God. Let the record reflect that the witnesses have answered in the affirmative. Please be seated. I now recognize Governor Sununu for five minutes to summarize his opening statement.

Well, thank you very much. Um, good morning, Chairman Garbarino, Representative Correa, members of the committee. So let me begin by thanking you for holding the hearing and providing us with the opportunity to make recommendations on what can be done to modernize the Transportation Security Administration to meet the challenges it faces twenty-five years now, after the tragedy of nine eleven. I also want to highlight for you that the most important thing that Congress and this committee can do is ensure that essential transportation security employees are paid on time for the essential work that they do, keeping our skies secure, and that the TSA is never subjected to the devastating impacts of another lapse in federal funding, two in the past year, and frankly they should be the last two that we ever discuss. Front-line TSA officers have spent over half of this fiscal year without an on-time paycheck, and thousands of them have quit the agency as a result. Shutdowns don't just make it hard to retain employees, they make it difficult to recruit new personnel, who understandably are hesitant to join an organization which demands a lot, but through no fault of their own, has been let down by Congress in their unwillingness to pay their own workforce. Congress should take immediate action to adopt a durable solution to prevent this from happening ever happening again. According to polling from the just this past March, ninety-three percent of Americans said it was quote " important for Congress to pass legislation that would guarantee TSA officers get paid on time." Ninety-three percent of Americans cannot agree on anything but on this they are very clear. and the airlines stand ready to work with you and to ensure that these disruptions never threaten our travelers or our economy again. And in addition to eliminating the impact of government shutdown on TSA, I would like to highlight a few targeted ideas that enjoy bipartisan, bicameral support that we believe could be quickly advanced through this committee and signed into law. First, reauthorize and modernize the Aviation Security Capital Fund. As we know, since two thousand and four, Czech baggage screening infrastructure has been funded by a two hundred fifty million dollar annual investment, which is unfortunately scheduled to expire in twenty twenty seven. And we are very grateful to Chairman Gabrino, Chairman Strong, Representatives Kennedy, Guest, McKenzie and Evans, uh, for their bipartisan leadership in introducing the Safeguards Act to fix this problem. For too long, passengers have had their security fees diverted to other purposes, having nothing to do with security. And the Safeguards Act would finally ensure that they go directly towards aviation security and passenger safety. And by reinvesting in the next generation, screening technologies and modernized checked baggage systems, this legislation would enhance security, reduce checkpoint congestion, and improve the overall travel experience for millions of Americans. Next, make TSA's one-stop security program, the OSS program, make it permanent. In twenty twenty three, Congress established the OSS pilot program which allows at the time up to six international locations to meet TSA's rigorous screening standards and enable passengers in their checked baggage flying from the uh to the US from these vetted and monitored locations to avoid redundant screening back here in the United States. It's been a huge success and Airlines for America supports expanding and making the program permanent. Also, make TSA's reimbursable screening services program the rssp program make that permanent the reimbursable screening services pilot program allows airports or airlines to enter into agreements with tsa for tsa to provide special security screening outside of the primary passenger checkpoints for example with the olympics coming for the united states in twenty twenty eight an influx of millions of visitors and athletes may require unique screening solutions that requires this kind of flexibility and like with one stop This too has been a success and we believe this pilot program should be expanded and made permanent. We also need to sustain investment in research and development, the R and D in advanced cargo screening capabilities. As global trade volumes grow, cargo shipment screening becomes increasingly complex. It's an area that I think goes un- un- un- uh, discussed and unrecognized, unfortunately here in Washington sometimes. TSA needs to evolve to address those emerging threats And while TSA and its partners have made significant strides in improving these screening processes for cargo current methods and technologies still face limitations and this investment would not only strengthen national security, but also support economic stability and confidence in the global supply chain while ensuring that American cargo carriers keep the world's economy moving. Airlines for America and its members are are here with their expertise and their resources resources to partner with this committee on these initiatives to modernize TSA And we stand ready to work with you and obviously can answer any questions that you may have. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Governor. I now recognize Mr. McLaughlin for five minutes to summarize his opening statement.

Chairman Garbarino, Congressman Correa, and distinguished members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify. My name is Chris McLaughlin and I'm the CEO of the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Earlier in my career I ran operations for TSA and played a leading role in the rollout of TSA pre-check. The United States has the most complex aviation system in the world, and TSA personnel successfully perform their demanding mission every single day. While the system has worked for a quarter of a century, we cannot become complacent as aviation enters its next period of significant growth. The theme of modernization is not new, yet implementation often takes too long. The industry's current trajectory, balanced against increased demand, requires a heightened sense of urgency and a demonstrated bias toward action. TSA modernization must begin with a secure, confident, and mission-focused workforce. We cannot continue to ask front-line personnel to operate under constant uncertainty while expecting operational excellence. In this light, I want to thank TSA Acting Administrator Ha-McNeil for her leadership and unwavering commitment to TSA's mission, especially during the recent government shutdowns. I also want to acknowledge the efforts of the TSA officers and their leaders in the who carried out their mission with dedication, even when choosing between food or fuel. Congress must ensure that this never happens again. Our skies will not be safe if our checkpoints aren't secure. Almost twenty-five years ago, Congress created the TSA with the sentiment, " We will never forget." To me, it sure felt like we had for a moment, and I'm grateful that the House passed appropriations to get these public servants paid. Modernization must also focus on improving security effectiveness through smarter technology deployment and operational flexibility. At DFW, we are investing heavily in the future of security. When our current capital program is complete, we will have grown from forty-four to more than eighty total screening lanes, including forty-seven with ex- advanced screening technology. Given our timing, we utilized TSA's capability acceptance process and funded these investments ourselves. That said, for TSA to roll out similar technology in a timely manner, they must secure sustainable access to capital as outlined in the safeguards act. We applaud TSA's touchless pre-check rollout. Our passengers love it. We believe it's the best approach for identity verification long term. DFW also sees significant promise in image on alarm only screening. The current pilots are exciting and we urge TSA to look for opportunities to evolve. The same modernization philosophy applies to international processing. DFW was proud to partner on the nation's first one-stop security pilot. OSS demonstrates that secure and efficient international processing can coexist when built on international partnerships and equivalent security standards. To ensure equivalency, we invested heavily in aviation worker screening. Now, I don't support a blanket solution for employee screening. But I do believe that only the airports that invest in equivalent security standards should benefit from OSS. At DFW, our passengers tell the story. Of OSS passengers surveyed, ninety-seven percent say OSS saves them time, and eighty percent say one stop would influence their port of entry decision. Importantly, ninety-seven percent cited that bi- that bypassing TSA is the single biggest benefit. DFW strongly supports a whole of government approach to permanently authorize OSS and international remote baggage screening. Both passenger and baggage screening are important to fully realize the operational, security, and passenger benefits associated with a seamless international transfer. Beyond the checkpoint, a modernized aviation security framework must recognize threats across the airport. DFW works closely with our federal partners on emerging threat technologies, including counter-UAS, and advanced perimeter systems. Unauthorized drone activity presents safety and operational risks to the national airspace. Airports need the authority, the technology, and strong inter-agency coordination to address unauthorized drones. Finally, modernization requires procurement reform to support operational agility. TSA needs flexibility to test, evaluate, and quickly scale successful technologies. RSSP are one way to give TSA funding flexibility to meet the needs otherwise outside their funding reach. In closing, modernizing the TSA is about building a smarter, more resilient, and more scalable aviation security system capable of meeting the demands of the future. DFW stands ready to partner with TSA and Congress to build that future. Thank you again for the opportunity to testify today, and I look forward to your questions.

Thank you, Miss McLaughlin, I now recognize Doctor Kelly for five minutes to op- to summarize his opening statement.

Thank you, first of all, for the opportunity to be here today. As you all know, DHS and TSA were established in the wake of nine eleven. But nine eleven was hardly the first tragedy that might have been avoided uh with better airport security. I think of Pan Am flight one O three that was blown up over uh Lockerbridge, uh Scotland. when two hundred and fifty-nine passengers and eleven people on the ground were killed by Muammar Gaddafi's agents. And of course there have been many more. But no terrorist has succeeded in attacking American commercial aviation since the establishment of TSA. Unfortunately, the world we live in contains many terrorists who would do us harm. On any day, any one of us could become a victim of terror. That is not abstraction. That is the reality our Transportation Security Officers meet head-on every single day. And this reality is why we need trained professionals, conducting security screening, who are accountable to the public, not to a contractor's bottom line. TSOs perform sacred work. I don't use the word sacred lightly. I mean to say that it's holy work, work that protects and defend human life. They take the motto, not on our watch, to heart. They stand bravely and with determination. between the traveling public and those who would do us harm. They do it with professionalism, dedication, and expertise that can only be built with time and proper training. Nearly three million passengers move through America's airports every single day. Each one of them, each one of us, depends on a trained, experienced federal screening workforce to make it to our homes safely. Today, I appear before this committee to sound an alarm. Over the past sixteen months, TSOs have endured three government shutdowns, totaling more than four months without reliable pay. They have had their collective bargaining rights unilaterally rescinded. They've been given a budget proposal that cuts eighty-four hundred positions and hands that job to private contractors. And yet, they show up, they showed up during the uh shutdown and continue to show up. They screened the passengers to make sure no explosion, no weapon, no contraband make it into any plane. They keep the fine public safe because this is who they are and what they do for us. Here's what the committee must understand. The federal aviation security model Congress built after nine eleven was not a bureaucratic or a sourcing re- or reference, preference. It was a lesson learned in blood. And as the saying goes, " Lesson learned in blood," are not soon forgotten. Before nine eleven airport screening was not recognized as the solemn governmental responsibility. It is today. Screeners were paid at a nearly minimum wage, turnovers exceeded one hundred percent per year, training was minimum. The consequences were catastrophic. Today's TSOs are not those pre-nine eleven contract screeners. They've taken oath to the constitution. They've passed rigorous background and investigations. They passed uh operation uh that a sophisticated uh detection equipment that they use every single day. When TSO give them fair pay and the ability to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement a few years ago turnover declined by half. We cannot go back to contracted out aviation security and expect the lessons to hold. That is yet another reason why AFG strongly support the right for the TSA workforce act, introduced by ranking member Bennet Thompson with bipartisan support. This legislation will bring TSOs in line with other federal employees on compensation and workplace rights. With such mandatory protection, no administration could take away their rights on a whim. Some have augured that privatizing, screening would shield workers and the flying public from the impact of government shutdown. That argument is absolutely false. Private contractors are paid from the same DHS appropriation that fund federal TSOs. They are just as vulnerable to funding lapse as any other in line with the agency's budget. In fact, when agencies lack funding or pay contractors, they must issue formal stop-work orders that have uh that halt the contract performance. Contractors providing airport security would still be required to show up, but they would not be paid until the lapse ended. This is the identical situation our federal officers face today. So privatization offers no protection from funding. It'll strip the flying public of the safety and security of high quality professionals screening while taking away the screen of civil service, um, procedures they're heart-worn and they fought for. So remember, any of us could have been on Pan Am one O three. Any of us could have been on nine eleven, but we're here. Thanks to the security that we have today.

Uh, thank you, Doctor Kelly. Members will be recognized by order of seniority. Uh, for there are five minutes of questions. I now recognize the gentleman from Texas, Mister Flueger, for five minutes.

Well, thank you, Mister Chairman, and I thank the witnesses uh for being here. Um, and a lot of kudos uh, Mister McLaughlin uh to what DFW does. I fly through there all the time. Um, y- you run uh an incredible airport, TSA operations inside DFW. There are airports you will fly out of and some that are not as good, and DFW is a great example. And I also wanna say thank you uh back to my district, to San Angelo. to Midland. Um, you guys came to work with a smile on your face, you kept our airport safe, you weren't paid for for multiple months. Uh, and I wanna thank you for the work that you did. Uh, Doctor Kelly, you said something interesting. You said that these workers do sacred work, holy work. I agree with you. Uh, they don't do it for pay, do they?

Definitely not, Kate.

What, and and in and in fact, they weren't paid for how many months? Uh, it's over seventy-five days. Uh, so you you you said they'd do something that is sacred to keep us safe. That Pan Am flight, I'm so glad you brought that up. It wasn't just nine eleven. There were a string of events, weren't there, before nine eleven. Are we still facing a threat in the United States of America for people who want to uh co-opt air travel for the purposes of terrorism?

I sort of think that we are still facing those threats. I mean, there are those in this world uh that want to harm Americans.

And they would use air travel to do that harm, wouldn't they?

There was Say that again?

They would use air travel to do that harm, wouldn't they?

I think they could, yes.

Well, Doctor Kelly, let me ask you a question, how harmful was it for our TSA agents to have to go home to their families and tell them, I'm not gonna get a paycheck. How harmful was that to the overall force?

You know, the thing of the matter is this is what we have to understand. The TSA agents take an oath. They can, they take an oath to defend the American public, and they do that with pride. You know,

But they don't do it for free, do they?

I'm very, I'm very proud of the fact that they do that and that they did that without a paycheck, but understanding that their mission is to protect the flying public. They take that to heart.

And they take that very seriously. And in fact, they came to work multiple months without getting a paycheck, didn't they?

That's a fact.

Doctor Kelly, do you also represent uh folks that work with Border Patrol?

I certainly do.

What what what's their feeling? How how how's their morale right now?

Well

On the subject of not getting paid, how is their morale?

You know, I think I think anybody's morale is down when they're not getting paid, but they all they do understand the mission.

I would think so.

They do understand that they are working for the American public.

How many months can they go with a Congress telling them that they don't want them to exist?

You know, I don't think they should have to go one day.

I agree.

with with with the common telling them that it should not exist. What they should be doing is praising these employees

We should be.

that have gone for over a hundred and nineteen days without pay. They should be praising them for making sure that even though they came to work, you know, without pay, under stressful conditions, they still performed their duties and they performed it well.

Uh, that is very well said, Doctor Kelly. Mister McLaughlin, um, let's change over to TSA and and how do you balance the potential benefits of private screening screening operations with the importance of maintaining a well-trained and well-structured TSA. Give us an example there, DFW, and then how would that apply to Midland and to San Angelo if we were to put that model in place?

So, um, uh, to the point that was made earlier, the SPP program has been around really since the onset of TSA, and and it has worked for twenty-two airports around the country. I think it's important for airports to have choices. I think there might be places where an SPP model could work for specific airports. I think lower volume airports are uh have over time been the more likely airports to participate in in SPP. A lot of that has to do with labor availability and other issues in remote areas. At an airport like DFW, and and by the way thank you for your kind words about the work that's done by, you know, tens of thousands of employees that really make up the community of DFW, which includes federal, it includes airline, it includes our own employees. Um, in our case, our federal TSA officers do an amazing job. Even during the shutdowns at DFW, we did not experience the line weights that others saw around the country, and I attribute that to the quality of the leadership at DFW, as well as the quality of the workforce. They were showing up without fuel in their car. They were showing up making choices between feeding their families and and and uh taking on a side job.

How tragic is that?

It i- but but it speaks to it speaks to the quality of the workforce, and that should be commended.

Well, I I maintained good contact uh with with Miss Smith uh at DFW,

Wonderful.

and a lot of praise for her continuing to motivate uh those. Uh, Mister Sununu, very quickly, um how important it is f- is it for the folks that you represent to have an operation that keeps uh the airline and air traffic safe uh specifically TSA and their associated intelligence?

Yeah, well the natural airspace is a public-private partnership, right? So I represent the airlines much on the private side. And uh on the public side you have the air traffic controllers, the TSA agents, all those pieces. Uh, it has to work hand in glove together, and I I firmly believe on the private side, the airlines and the other uh private contractors and private uh private entities, um that whether it's from the point you park your car to the point you get to where you're going, there's a lot of different pieces there, and I think the private end has has done a phenomenal job in spite of two government shutdowns in spite of you know these increased prices on on on jet fuel that we're seeing lately or the spirit issue that was going on,

I'm s- I'm sorry my time my time has expired.

uh phenomenal.

Uh, any further thoughts on that please uh in writing?

Yeah. No, just the the the the the g- the government

Gentleman yields back. I now recognize the gentleman from California, Mister Correa, for five minutes.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, I agree with my colleague from Texas. Government has to do its job. Government needs to pay people on time. The fact is, shutdown was ended after a bill that sat on the floor for more than two months was brought up for a vote. Majority, the leader could have brought that bill up at any time to vote. And there wouldn't have been a shutdown, that last one. And furthermore, I really think that what's good for the goose is good for the gander. Any federal government employee that suffers, that does not get paid because of a shutdown means none of us up here should get paid either. During that shutdown, this last one, and every other shutdown, I called the administrator and say, " Don't pay Lou." until the others get paid. Right? If you're gonna feel pain, I gotta feel the pain. It's gotta be, that's, that's at minimum what we have to do. Um. So again, let's make sure our workers are paid on time. Mister McLaughlin, talking about SPP, you said twenty-two airports around the country are actually privatized. Is your airport privatized?

Uh, our airport is not privatized.

And that's a decision you made. And continue to make and re-examine and decide. But at this point you've decided that's not for you. Um, but you could at any time. And that's where the law stands right now. Uh, would you be in favor of mandating any airport that they be SPP, or should we let those folks decide for themselves?

So it probably goes without saying, but I'm a strong believer that airports should have choice, should maintain that choice, uh, as we move forward.

Mister Sununu.

Yeah, airb again, the program is very successful, but airports need the flexibility to make their own choices. Every airport's different. If you if you've seen one airport, you've seen one airport. Every if you wanna see

Doctor Kelly.

Oh, there's no doubt I'm totally against the privatization of any airport, uh, because I think that those regulations should be governed by uh, TSA and not a one that is looking for a buck, one that's looking to make uh a buck off of the American people. You know,

So

that's why it's vitally important uh that we pass the Shutdown Fairness Act, you know,

But you

so that we don't have to worry about whether or not a screener is paid or not. I think it's vitally important that we do that. We gotta we gotta see these screeners, you know, as law enforcement officers that they are, okay? You don't contract out uh CIA, do you? No, you don't do that. You don't contract out uh

You know, uh you bring up a good point, Doctor Kelly, which is you think about police officers, FBI agents, you wanna pay them well. Because nobody disputes the fact that they are there to do a critical job. But I would argue TSA officers do an even more critical job, which is they're the ones that keep you safe day in a day in and day out, making sure bad folks or bad things don't get on the on those lights. You wanna professionalize. Absolutely. And that's what we're doing for the last few years that I've been here, trying to reduce the attrition rate, trying to professionalize TSA workers, making sure that the best of the best, Cuz you know what? They can't fail once. If they fail only once, that's a major disaster in our airways. So, to think about the concept, to think about trying to privatize, bringing workers down on their benefits, on their salary, that's not something that I would vene- uh, would be in favor of. How about you, Doctor Kelly?

Definitely.

Mister McLaughlin?

Yeah, I mean, in conversations over the years, pay is probably the single most important thing for our for our TSA officers.

Governor Sununu.

Yeah, pay is important, but let's also remember, pay them. This body needs to vote to actually pay them. Let's, you know, how much they get paid is important, but is it more important that they actually get a paycheck?

Governor Sununu, I'd like you to write help me write a letter saying that every member of Congress should write on or sign on to a bill saying no pay for federal workers, no pay for members of Congress.

A hundred percent. Yeah. I'd go I'd go further for that one.

I think I think the public would probably support that a hundred percent,

Yeah.

uh ninety-two or ninety-three percent. Most members of Cong- uh of the public would say yes. And again, all of us here from both sides of the aisle are here to make sure we're safe. The threat is evolving. Those smart folks on the other side will continue to evolve. and go after us, we need to make sure we're smarter and better. But that means we have to have the brightest and the best and the best paid workers at the front lines which is at the TSA workers at the checkpoints at airports. Thank you, Mister Chairman, with that, I yield.

Gentleman yields back, and I recognize myself for uh five minutes of of questions. So, McGloggan, as I talked about in my opening statement, the um I'm very concerned about the long-term impact of continuing to divert passenger security fee revenue uh away from its intended purpose, supporting aviation security technology, protecting our flying public. Save Cards Act, introduced by Rep Strong and joined by myself, along with many other members on this committee, proposes to end this fee diversion and redirect those funds toward aviation security technology. From the perspective of the third busiest airport in the world, how impactful would it be for Congress to fix this diversion of the of the passenger security fee and support the advancement of new security qui and a security equipment and technology.

What would be incredibly impactful, and as I shared in my testimony, DFW based on where we are in our capital program faced a choice, right? We are growing about twenty percent over the next five years, and we needed to advance our security as a result of that. Our best opportunity to ensure best-in-class security systems across our checkpoints was to participate in TSA's capability acceptance process, which we've done willingly. Now we'll kick that off this year to the tune of more than fifty million dollars, and that's just the first bite at the apple.

Wow.

Um, that cost, most of that cost will ultimately be passed on to the airlines who will then ultimately pass it on to the consumer. The idea that consumer is going to pay that fee and then continue to pay the nine eleven fee is disheartening. So the sooner we get this resolved the better. The fee diversion should stop. I think it's near sixteen billion dollars over the last twelve to thirteen years um and that would go an awful long way. The one point that I would make is I think Congress also needs to evaluate the next year and a half or so before uh before the bill would take uh effect in terms of uh uh future capital advancement making sure that we're not taking money away from TSA in the next couple years that they need to continue operating.

Yeah, no, I'm very excited that we have um you know uh Congressman Strong is also an appropriator so working with the Appropriations Committee to make sure we done right is i i think is great and and the fact that you just brought it up uh travelers consumers customers are paying prop twice now for the security that uh they that should already have been there based on the billions of dollars already that was diverted um doctor kelly can you talk about what what it would do for your your membership the tso's uh to have this new equipment you know how it would make allow them to do a a better job you know because they they they can rely on better equipment uh and do it quicker uh cause unfortunately uh i think your officers do a they're they're there for security they're there for public safety and they're also at the front lines so they also have to deal with the customers they they're the front lines to the travelers so they have to deal with the customer service aspect uh so they a lot of times they get the brunt of angry um of angry travelers which is not fair how does uh investing in newer technology help your members

no I'm not uh opposed to new technology. What I am opposed to is diminishing the public safety of uh the American traveler. Uh that is always a primary concern of mine, that will always continue to be a primary concern of mine. You know, and and and the fact of the matter is you're not gonna get around having to utilize the TSO agents. I mean, even when you look at some of the technology that we're using today, you know, they just actually, if you got a little extra money, you can pay and you can get this technology and you can get in the front of line. But then you gotta stand in front of the TSO, you know, and so I just don't think that this is the route that we we go for uh making sure that America's fly safe.

I I I I think I agree that, you know, the uh that TSO should be paid. Uh, uh, they I think they uh they do a lot of great work for not a lot of money, and that's why there's such s- still there still is turnover. I think uh you said fifty uh if almost fifty percent was turnover, I think in your opening statement. Uh, so I do think that this would help, uh, what's not, it doesn't solve. I think it would help, uh, the problem though, investing more in the security, cuz then you'd have passengers who get through quicker, not yelling at your, your members. Your members could sit there, focus on their job, which is screening people, screening bags, um, to keep us safe. And I, again, I thank the work that they do. Um, this is Sununu, or Governor Sununu, looking ahead, uh, we have a lot of with the World Cup coming up and the Olympics in two years, and America.

Sure. Well, you know, I I'll I'll I'll reference um, Acting Administrator McNeil's comments that she made, I bel- I believe it was in actually in front of this committee where she said, look, we're we're just not as ready as we should be because of the shutdowns, it definitely had a a negative impact, but they're putting in overtime, I mean they really are to make sure that the technology's there the the protocols are there to be able to handle uh what we expect and hope to be a a a big rush uh in into the united states for summer travel uh right now we're seeing international uh international travel bookings down a couple percent which i think is actually pretty darn good considering all the issues happening overseas considering uh effectively the middle east has been locked up so when we're looking towards the world cup uh we see things being strong, and so a we're making sure that you know we have our pieces in place in terms of customer service, uh better equipment, better technologies, uh working, you know we work hand in glove, we're with the FAA and with DOT literally almost every single day saying what else needs to be done where are there gaps in the system and as I referenced earlier, what you've seen one airport you've seen one airport, everyone's different right DFW is a phenomenal airport, one of the best in the maybe the best in the world um and some are just ahead of the game,

Wow.

they have bet better resources,

Thank you. I'm partial to LaGuardia and JFK and my hometown one of Iceland, but that's all they're all great, but thank you. Uh, I now recognize the gentlelady from uh Illinois, Miss Ramirez, for five minutes of questions.

Thank you, Chairman and Ranking Member. Well, it's seventy-six days. Right? Dr. Kelly, seventy-six days. That's how long Trump and Republicans pretended to care about TSA workers. On camera, with the PR stunts we saw of delivering bottles of water and chips. Well, we know that that water and chips did not pay the rent. Rejecting every single opportunity they had to negotiate with Democrats to fund and reopen TSA. Plotting to strip TSA workers of their bargaining rights. Disrespecting unpaid TSA workers with the deployment paid ice agents to airports and denying TSA workers their paycheck, despite the administration having enough money the entire time to be able to pay them. So what happened? During that time, four hundred TSA workers quit. But this comes as no surprise. As I said on March twenty on March twenty fifth, the administration's goal as outlined in project twenty twenty five is the same. to privatize TSA. Why? So that they can line pockets of trumped owners. Because this administration, this government, just wants to extract every single bit of profit they can for themselves at the expense of our people, and in this case, federal workers. Corruption allows authoritarians to consolidate power, they get to reward their loyalists, you've been seeing a lot of that lately, and remain in office. Corruption is how this administration operates. The administration has demonstrated that it would use our hard-earned tax dollars to terrorize our communities to fund violations of our rights, and to hand out subsidies to the ultra-wealthy and corporations that profit from the suffering of our constituents. So, look, l- let me be frank, it's difficult to sit here and pretend to have a real discussion on modernizing TSA, especially when Trump himself has proposed cutting fifty two million dollars from TSA's funding, all while he's demanding an additional seventy two billion dollars for his forces of terror, ICE and CBP. And it's hard to discuss the modernization of TSA and its technologies, when those same technologies have been weaponized to surveil, to target, and to persecute communities. But there is so much discussed about the administration's attacks on the TSA, so I wanna specifically talk about that with you here. TSA officers carry out one of the most visible homeland security missions in the federal government. They're screening millions and millions of passengers each day, while remaining vigilant against constant evolving threats. At the same time, the administration has pursued efforts to dismantle collective bargaining rights for its workforce. So, Mister Kelly, President Kelly, how are labor protections affecting morale and the agency's ability to recruit and retain experienced officers.

You know, certainly, and I appreciate that question because uh these are employees that are very patriotic.

Many of them are veterans, correct?

We need to Say it again?

Many of them are veterans?

Many a third of the the people that we represent are veterans. And like myself, I'm a veteran as well, and to uh go through over a hundred and nineteen days of not being paid over the last twelve months, uh, contracts being cut, and then on top of that, you're told that now we're going to contract out your jobs.

Mm.

I mean, morale has to be at the bottom.

Yeah.

But the thing that that I'm most proud of, I had the opportunity to, um, talk with the administrator that was appointed by President Trump in the first turn. uh, Kowski who negotiated a contract with AFGE

Mm.

and said that this is the way we should go, this is the way we modernize because it makes sure that employee morale is up, we make sure that they had gotten paid adequately,

Mm-hmm.

and so to now come back and say we're gonna do all of these miserable things to you, morale is at record low.

Yeah, and and doc and President Kelly, I I absolutely couldn't agree with you more, like when you compound all of this. And then, you know, I saw that TSA agents told Time Magazine that they were frustrated, they were insulted, deeply suspicious, when I suddenly showed up at airport checkpoints hanging around while they got a fifty thousand dollar sign up bonus. And they were getting paid while they were going without pay and unable to pay their mortgage. So President Kelly, the TSA officers report staying home

I can't answer that question for surgery. I have not heard of any of those type of situations.

Got it. Well, listen, let let me wrap up in saying this. There's two goals for this administration. Convince Americans to sacrifice our rights under the pretense of securing our safety. and twist the government into a corrupt corporate oligarchy to remain in power. This has to end. And I think it's really important for us to understand that if we really care deeply about our federal workers we don't take their collective bargaining away. We don't start playing this blame game when there was an opportunity over and over and over for them to be able to fund TSA. We have to do something different, and I'm committed in this committee to do just that. So thank you. With that, Chairman, I yield back.

General Leidy yields back. This talk. For the record, the members, Republican members on this committee voted four times to fund TSA workers in the last nine months. Uh, I now recognize the gentlelady from South Carolina, Miss Biggs, uh, for five minutes of questions.

Thank you, Mister Chairman, and thank you to our witnesses for your testimony here this morning. Our active duty service members and their families, they make extraordinary sacrifices every day in defense of this nation. They move when the military tells them to move. They deploy on short notice. And they navigate an already demanding life with very little margin for error. The least we can do is make sure that when they show up at the airport in uniform, with the family in tow, trying to get home before a deployment, they are not stuck at the back of a TSA security line. Right now, that's exactly what happens. Despite everything our men and women in uniform give up, they have no guaranteed pathway through airport security. They wait in the same lines as everyone else. often with children, gear, and a hard deadline on the other side of the checkpoint. I will soon be introducing the Improving Travel for Military Members Act. This legislation authorizes the TSA administrator to stand up a pilot program at a minimum of five airports, prioritizing airp- airports near military installations. That would establish dedicated alternative screening lanes for active duty military personnel and their accompanying family members. The goal is straightforward, get service members and their families through security faster without cutting corners on the protocols that keep all of us safe. This is a targeted common sense pilot. It does not mandate a sweeping overhaul of the entire system overnight. It gives TSA flexibility and the authority to find the right airports, design the right approach, and demonstrate what works. So, Mister McLaughlin and Governor Sununu, I wanna ask both of you directly. Do you support the establishment of this pilot program, dedicated screening lanes for active duty military personnel and their families at airports near military installations? And more importantly, do you believe this is a model that could and should be expanded to airports across the country? And if so, what would you need to see from Congress, from TSA, and from industry itself to make this expansion a reality?

But uh, I'll speak, sorry, I appreciate the question and um, look, let me answer on a couple different fronts. We take uh the the mission of our military personnel and their families very, very seriously. Uh, from the time they're deployed to the time they come home. We work closely with our federal partners. We'll work closely with airlines to make sure that we're um that that we're honoring the service of our our servicemen and women. When we talk about dedicated lanes, and I'll point out that uh the airports closest to some of our largest military installations are often smaller airports. Dedicating lanes permanently can be very, very difficult. I think there are programs that exist within the TSA that uh, that they've demonstrated over years. TSA Cares, for example. where with a call ahead uh you can get special s service for individuals that need a little extra time and care to properly process through a checkpoint without undue disruption. And I would suggest that in smaller airports a service like that might be easier to deploy, implement, and might be a better service for servicemen and women than trying to permanently dedicate a lane in an airport that may only have four total lanes. Uh and remember that would require dedicated staffing on the part of TSA as well. So i absolutely a hundred percent support the heart of what you're wanting to implement, but logistically i think there's a lot of barriers that would need to be overcome.

i would just add a hundred percent i mean what i i think what the tsa already does uh with the tsa cares program uh which uh has expedited screening for uh wounded warriors obviously these honor lanes that we that we talk about expanding those, priority boarding which the airlines already do for their service members dedicated military bereavement programs which we already do um i think there's a lot there uh you can never kinda do enough here's one i mean we have uh we have airlines now looking at how can we donate miles how could you as a individual citizen donate your miles so a service member can go visit their family when they get time off because right now service members don't have enough to pay for that ticket home so we're looking at different types of ways to kinda again partner and enhance what i think the airports and tsa are already trying to do in making sure that military and military families are are honored uh the way they need to be and they need to get from point a to point b without a lot of the um the hassles um that that uh unfortunately can fall on them

well thank you so much for your input and thank you doctor Kelly for your service and Mister Chairman I yield back

General Lady yields back I now recognize gentleman from New York and the Co-lead for the Save Gods Act Miss Kennedy

Thank you Mister Chairman um appreciate you bringing that up I wanna begin my remarks by recognizing that important legislation uh done on a bipartisan effort with this committee, uh obviously very pertinent to the topic of this hearing. Last week I was proud to introduce the spending aviation fees for equipment guaranteeing upgrade and advanced risk detection and safety act also known as the safeguards act with ranking members strong. It's a bipartisan bill, does two important things with the intention of ensuring that nine eleven passenger security fees, five dollar and sixty cent fee that each of us pay already for a one-way flight funds what it was initially authorized to fund improving aviation safety and security first the bill allows for five hundred million dollars to be allocated in nine eleven fees annually for improved check bag technology and screening and second it provides two hundred and fifty million dollars annually for checkpoint technology improvements at airports, such as exit lanes to enhance seamless travel and improve threat detection. Because we know after nine eleven with the creation of the passenger fee, Congress came together to dedicate sustained, reliable, regular investments in aviation and airport security. However, unfortunately, about one point six billion dollars annually in these fees goes towards debt reduction. That means one point six billion dollars less for safer air travel, at a time when the need for ever-evolving advanced technology upgrades for our airport has never been greater. And it means less resources for TSOs that could make their very demanding jobs more efficient. The Safeguard Act invests in much needed improvements for security screening and brings us closer to ending nine eleven fee diversion guaranteeing that TSA and its employees have the federal resources it needs to keep our skies safe. Mister Chairman, I know you're also supportive of this legislation and I hope that this committee will consider the bill soon. I thank you. On the topic of ensuring that TSA is empowered to do its very critical, indispensable job of keeping air travel safe and secure, an essential piece of this is preserving TSO's ability to collectively bargain. TSA officers are often asked to do long hours sometimes without pay for weeks as we just saw earlier this year, adapt to rapidly changing procedures and continue to report to work during national emergencies. And despite all of these workforce challenges that require real sacrifices, this administration is attempting to strip TSOs of their ability to unionize, brazenly violating federal court orders in order to advance an anti-labor agenda. Doctor Kelly, it's great to be with you in Alabama this past weekend.

Thank you, sir.

It's good to see you again. Uh, as president, your organization has fought tirelessly against this administration's efforts to scrap TSO's collective bargaining agreement. Can you tell this committee why workplace protections and collective bargaining rights are particularly important for maintaining workforce stability and retention?

Okay, as as we thank you for the question and it was good to see you as well. Uh, but as we fore stated, uh, when we negotiated, in my opinion, one of the best contracts in the federal system, uh, attrition was reduced to fifty percent. So when you, when you have a collective bargaining agreement, you know, you can really begin to enhance morale because the employees and the TSOs feel like that the agency or the administration is listening to them, they're taking to into account what they have to say and what they feel, and they work together. And the thing that that I like about it is, you know, these employees are not forced into a union. They decide whether or not they wanna be in a union. And and and they have decided that they want a union representing them, and because they know that one person can't talk to the administration, but when that union go and speak on behalf of all of these employees, then they listen. and they collaborate and they come up with the best solutions possible for the workforce.

And this administration often touts its support for law enforcement and front-line security personnel, yet here they are, actively working to dismantle TSA officer rights and authorities. How do TSA officers reconcile those public supposed pro-law enforcement policies with the reality that this administration is doing anything and everything in its power to attack their workplace rights? and professional standings.

You know, as I fore stated earlier, you know, this administration should really be praising these TSOs, because when you look at what they've gone through over the last year, uh, you know, and I and I keep repeating myself because this is what I truly believe. They should be praising these TSOs for the job that they've done under the stressful condition but yet they came every single day and they made sure that there was no No issue that came up that they didn't deal with. No weapons got through. No, no bombs, no nothing. These employees have maintained the fact that we are here to serve the American public under any circumstances. When they say, not on my watch, they take that seriously, and therefore I think we should be praising them instead of saying, now we're gonna contract out your job.

Please pass along our thanks and gratitude to these front-line heroes, the TSOs, and let them know that we stand with them. Uh Mister Chairman, my time, I yield back.

Thank you. The gentleman yields back and I recognize the gentleman from Colorado, Mister Evans, for five minutes.

Thank you, Chairman, ranking member for this hearing. Thank you of course to our witnesses for coming. And let's just reset and talk about the facts. Hundred and nineteen days, two Democrat-led shutdowns resulted in sixteen hundred TSA employees just in Colorado and thousands more across the US going without pay as they worked to protect Americans and air transportation. Let's go through the bills, H R seventy one forty seven, H R forty two thirteen, H R seventy seven forty four. Go look at who voted yes, and go look at who voted no. This was a democrat shutdown. Democrats conveniently forgot they chose to play political games with hardworking Americans' paychecks, and I will continue to remind people by directing them back to the facts and the bills and the actual votes about who voted to put uh money into the pockets of these workers, and who voted to take away their paychecks so they couldn't even put food on the table. It was such an unprecedented and unpredictable situation that Denver International Airport, uh in fact, solicited donations from the general public to keep employees afloat and terminals operational. And so I of course commend our TSA employees who were able to push through these shutdowns. Uh, but unfortunately we know many of them had to make the decision to go find other employment. So my yes or no question to everybody, and we'll start with Uh, my yes or no question. Uh, would you advise Congress against the practice of withholding employees' paychecks for the purposes of political negotiations? Governor, we'll start with you.

Should never be done, ever.

Yes. Or

Yeah.

the same thing he said.

Advise against.

Yes. Yes.

Advising against.

Dr. Kelly. Thank you. Uh, I I agree with you all, and and I hope my colleagues are taking notes here. Uh, Mr. McLaughlin, my my next question will be to you. um i was a cop in the denver metro area uh for a little bit over ten years and so i know that the best way to recruit and retain good officers is you gotta give them stable employment um and so as the former coo at uh denver international airport you're very familiar with the day-to-day operations of security at that airport and so my question to you is how do these shutdowns impact your ability to recruit and retain officers and can you talk about the situation that's come about in terms of morale recruiting and retention from a hundred and nineteen days of Democrat shutdowns.

Well, so, and and just to be clear, the the officers are federal employees, they they don't work for for DIA or or DFW, but certainly uh a shutdown has a significant impact, I think, more on recruitment than retention. Someone who's been with the agency for a decade might hold out because they've got an investment but someone looking at employment is much less look likely to look at federal employment when they've got no certainty of pay.

I agree, I saw the same thing in law enforcement, it's hard to get new people to come in when they don't even know if they're gonna get a paycheck if they sign up for this new job. Um, m- moving on here, uh, we've talked about my law enforcement career. Um, I spent twelve years in the US Army too also as a as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot, overseas war on terror, um, and now as a member of Congress. And so promoting public safety and national security, uh, it's a pillar of what I would do uh in Congress. It's been twenty-five years since September eleventh, and we remember that Congress established TSA just a couple of months after September eleventh to close security gaps in our transportation system, and it's our responsibility to make sure that TSA has the resources that they need to continue this critical mission. Today, every time you buy a plane ticket, there's a five dollar and sixty cent fee to fund the critical workforce and technology that TSA needs to screen employees and passengers, and ensure safety for all of us. In twenty twenty five, these fees resulted in four point five billion dollars collected. But when I came to Congress last year, I was shocked to find that Congress had diverted billions of those dollars away from TSA and toward other government spending. So I my uh my colleague across the aisle here had brought it up. Um, I'm a proud cosponsor of the Safeguards Act, uh, led by uh my colleagues, Mister Strong and Mister Kennedy. to bring Congress back to common sense and ensure that those resources are going to TSA so that they can have uh the tools and equipment that they need. And so uh to the to the Governor, how dangerous is the current diversion of passenger security fees away from screening technology and can you explain how the Safeguards Act would unlock funding for new technology to improve travel and safety experiences?

Sure. Well, for look, first and foremost, uh we effectively been living a lie, right? every time we tell a passenger that they're paying a nine eleven fee we're lying to them because they're this body has up until now up until the safeguards act which will finally stop this madness uh diverted billions about a billion and a half a year uh in the past few years um and that money is critically needed uh again i go back to ha mcneil's statement uh when we looked at the technology that's really needed to get us where we need to be right now we're on pace for maybe twenty forty two twenty forty three like fifteen years out that's how far behind we are and that's how much we've let down both the tso's themselves from not having the technology to do the job better the airports themselves from again being partners in that investment and putting the burden on everybody else so um it's critical it keeps us behind in technology it stifles innovation um but to be able the the safeguards act is just the first but an incredibly critical step to making sure that this nonsense is is finally pushed into the positive direction

Thank you. Yield back.

Gentlemen, yield's back. I now recognize the gentleman from uh Mich- Michigan, Mister Tanidar for five minutes.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you, ranking member. And also thank you to our witnesses for being here today to discuss efforts to modernize the TSA. I proudly represent Detroit Metro Airport, the largest airport in the state of Michigan. and one of the world's largest hubs. So this discussion matters a lot to my constituents who rely on TSA services or are themselves TSA workers. During the most recent homeland security shutdown, we saw a large number of TSA workers forced to work without pay, for load, or outright quitting their positions, putting a strain on a vital service. Due to a lack of TSA staffing at airports, we saw ICE agents who were ill-trained to handle airport security issues and often stood around rather than working put in place of TSA workers. We must ensure this never happens again. And we must also discuss how the TSA plans to make up for the number of agents it lost during the shutdown. Uh, President Kelly, thanks for being here. The administration has emphasized modernization. and efficiency within TSA. But technology alone cannot replace experienced personnel at checkpoints. In your view, why is maintaining a stable and adequate staffed workforce is still essential, even as airports adopt more advanced screening technologies?

Thank you, thank you for the question, because it's it's my belief that, you know, irregardless to the technology, you gonna have to have the expertise and the training of TSOs to make sure, you know, because, you know, machine or technology can do certain things, but that I for those uh situation that that that de-escalation of situation, now it can't be done by technology. You need an experienced TSO to do that job. And they do it very well.

Thank you. As this committee considers the future of TSA modernization and aviation security, what investments or policy changes does AFGE believes are most urgently needed to address staffing shortages and ensure the agency can continue fulfilling its mission effectively over the long term. I'm particularly concerned about the morale and the high turnover. And we're losing a lot of our experience, hard-working TSA workers because of this uncertainty that they have seen over uh last year or so with uh uncertainty about are they gonna get paid, are they gonna get paid on time. many people living paycheck to paycheck makes uh this uh very hard for them. Um what um um So what uh issues that needs to be addressed to make these workers feel more comfortable and appreciated?

And thank you for that question. Um, two things. Number one, to pass the Shut Down Fairness Act to ensure that these employees will never have to face uh the situation of not being paid for the services that they render to the American people ever again. OK? I I think that's vitally important. I think that you begin to increase morale, OK, when you do that. Secondly, uh when you return their collective bargaining rights, you know, so that they can have meaningful conversations with the administration, you know, to talk about what's best for uh the uh workforce and how to better address the morale issue in TSA. So I think those two things are essential, you know, in order to get us to where we need to be.

Thank you so much. My time is up, so I yield back.

Gentleman yields back. And I recognize the gentleman from Oklahoma, Mr. Perkin, Perkin, for five minutes of questions.

Thank you, Mister Chairman, you know, as we are all discussing the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of our nation, there's also another anniversary that will happen in nine eleven occurs. It'll be the twenty-fifth uh year since that great event happened, a horrible event happened. Um, it was a great event in terms of what it did to reset a mindset that was uh, I think, a nation that thought we were uh, would never see anything like that on our, in our homeland. This seventy-plus day shutdown, partial government shutdown, the longest in our nation's history, Of course it's heightened concern over the training, the pipeline of those that are in in certain skilled uh professions in terms of the screening that TSA uh utilizes. And we've heard, this committee has heard uh that there could be a backlog, a bottleneck of sorts of trying to make sure the people that were finally frustrated after you know one two different shutdowns, three shutdowns, then ultimately just said, look I just can't do this, I've gotta go do something else. And so, Mr. McLaughlin, I would love to hear uh your commentary um uh about what you're experiencing at DFW uh regarding uh that morale issue um and how that would pertain to just the big events we have coming up this year with uh the World Cup. Um yesterday there were four hundred different uh flights that were uh delayed of sorts out of DFW and if you wanna speak to that there was anything in in connectivity to uh what I just asked uh in this in this question.

It's so uh first let me talk about our on-time performance. We had a major weather event yesterday come through our system. Four hundred flights seems like a lot, but we uh operate twenty-one hundred flights a day out of DFW, so um we did see again some significant weather disruption in the morning. Look, I mean I think the the the broader theme that I want to address that you're touching on is the evolution of uh of civil aviation security over twenty-five years. I think we have to recognize that evolution has to happen. Everything else in our society has. This discussion today should not be a discussion between humans and tools. It should be a discussion about how we can create better tools that humans can then maximize the potential from. DFW is gonna grow by twenty percent over the next five years, where at about eighty five million passengers a year will be at a hundred million in uh in twenty thirty. Uh, DIA was mentioned earlier, it's gonna hit a hundred million soon. the the ecosystem continues to grow, our officers have to continually get more efficient with better and better tools in their hands, the same way that every other aspect of our society has evolved. That's how we address major events like FIFA, major events like the Olympics. That's how we prepare for the next iteration of aviation security in the US.

You mean that uh one one stop?

One stop is an incredible program. I'm glad we get a chance to to talk about that. One stop, again, So one stop security uh was uh started as a pilot program a few years ago,

Yeah.

by the way it's been in planning for f- for more than half a decade. We finally launched it, DFW and Atlanta were the first two airports to launch. One stop security allows customers that are starting in Heathrow to transit through DFW to Oklahoma as an example, as if it was a domestic connection. So they process through customs right uh immediately off the airplane, They do not have to recheck their bags. They re-enter the sterile area without having to process through TSA. Saving the TSA is the opportunity to to re-screen a whole plane load full of other people. The first customer off the airplane arrives back in the sterile area in less than seven minutes. And the last air the last customer off the airplane is back in the sterile area in less time than it would have taken them to process the old-fashioned way. Uh, uh, w- I said earlier about ninety-seven percent, uh, of our customers' acknowledge that it saves them time. Eighty percent of those customers say that they would choose DFW as their point of entry because of the one-stop experience. And ninety-seven percent say that it's both a bag and a people issue. They want the benefit for themselves and they want the benefit for their luggage.

No, it's just, again, we support it wholeheartedly. It's a huge success, should be expanded, made permanent, optional, right? Airports have to decide whether it's for them or not. It shouldn't be mandated. But uh it it we've seen it as a huge success and the airlines are very supportive.

Gentleman yields back. And I recognize the gentleman from Puerto Rico, Mister Hernandez, for having to

Thank you, Mister Chairman, Mister Ranking Member, and to our witnesses for being here today. During peak travel periods like Thanksgiving, Spring Break, the holidays, airports across the country are pushed to their limits. For Puerto Rico, these pressures hit differently. The island sees massive passenger surges during spring break and summer when families move to and from. The mainland and airports like Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport are stretched to capacity. When things go wrong, there is no margin for error. Puerto Rico has no alternative. There are no highways off the island. You can't drive to Florida. Air travel is not a convenience, it is a lifeline. Airports across the country are seeing record passenger volumes. and TSA is struggling to keep up, hiring, retention, workforce fatigue, these are not new problems and they have only gotten worse. When I hear about intentions to privatize a public service that the government itself has been strangling for years, that is wrong, and that is harmful. It is harmful for passengers, it is harmful for workers, it is harmful for the people of Puerto Rico. Mister McLaughlin and Governor Sununu, when TSA staffing levels do not keep pace with passenger growth, what kinds of operational stress does that place on airport management, airline coordination, and the overall traveler experience?

Well, again, when when staffing levels aren't there, it just means you're not allowing the folks to get processed as fast as as they need to get processed, because we're not going to um no one's wants going to sacrifice safety just to push people through the funnel that much faster cause you know the the staffing wasn't there the customer service the customer service experience for an airline is not when you get on a plane it's we always see it as you know as soon as you arrive at the airport so it has to be again that public-private partnership where everyone's doing their part to ensure the staffing is there the technology is there and you know and i'll i'll just emphasize something that that mister McLaughlin brought up the technology is not in in the opportunity to invest in technology on the public or private side is to speed up the process it's never to replace uh a tso it's never to replace uh someone in in on the personnel side it's to enhance them it's to allow them to do their job to the best of their abilities and make sure that their their training is being used um you know as as it needs to be

mmm

so uh yes anytime you're you're dealing with low staffing levels uh it's not just a customer service issue for tsa it's a customer service level for the entire system

yeah thank you mr. Rogloff then briefly because i have

Yeah, yeah.

We have little time.

So so look, I would I would agree with that, at airports we survey our customers, uh what makes them happy, what makes them upset. The two things that they care most about are the quality of their screening experience and the cleanliness of restrooms. That's what our customers tell us. Security matters to them, but it's more than the experience,

Great. Thank you.

it's the security.

I I wanna ask a few questions to President uh Kelly since I have a few minutes left. Doctor Kelly, TSA officers are specifically trained to conduct aviation security screening. Now I'm very concerned about the presence of ICE agents in our airports for purposes that were not assisting our TSA agents, but to actually do to make it harder for them to do their jobs. Now, since ICE officers carry out an entirely different mission, during the shutdown, what concerns did TSA personnel express to you about ICE officers' presence at airports?

Well, number one is the fact that they did not possess the skills that was necessary in order to be a TSO. Uh, that was one of the main issues, you know, and that was one of our issues as well because, you know, that diverged from the safety of our flying public. You know, uh, so that was that was the main concern that uh I heard from our TSA.

Did it affect their morale, the fact that they, TSA agents, were not being paid while ICE agents were?

Uh, certainly it did.

And it was absurd.

Absolutely.

And do you think that has an effect over attrition?

I I think so, yes. You know, because because they they have this Um, uncertainty, right, of whether or not I'm gonna have a job tomorrow or not, and this person here, you know, they're getting paid, they got a job, they can go and take care of their family. I cannot, but it's my job that, you know.

I could see the frustration on the faces of TSA agents in the San Juan airport as that happened.

Absolutely.

They were working day and night without pay, doing their jobs, and then they brought other people in who were not doing their jobs, who were not capable of doing their jobs, and who were getting paid for it.

Absolutely.

Thank you. I yield back.

Gentleman yields back, I now recognize the General Lady from New Jersey, Miss Poe, for five minutes questions.

Thank you, thank you so very much, Mr. Chairman, and to our ranking member for calling this meet uh hearing. And I wanna thank also the witnesses that are here today. Good morning, uh Governor Sununu. Uh, good morning to Mr. McLaughlin and to President, Doctor Kelly. Thank you so very much for being here. You know, um, the terrorist uh uh attack of September eleventh, two thousand and one forever changed our nation. For me and so many in the northern New Jersey, nine eleven is personal. Um, our neighbors worked in uh those buildings and our first responders rushed to ground zer- uh zero to assist with search and rescue efforts. from the grief, the pain and suffering of so many, was born a commitment to never allow such a horrific event to ever happen again. These efforts resulted in a renewed commitment to security, including the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration. At that time, Congress rightfully recognized that the security screening of airline passengers was too important to be left to profit margins and market forces. So now as threats and security has become more sophisticated, twenty-five years later we must have honest conversations and examine legitimate needs of TSA. As a member of both the Homeland Security Committee, but um as uh but also as the House Transportation Committee where I serve as ranked, as Vice-Ranking Member of the Aviation Panel, I uniquely understand the necessary work to keep our our skies safe. Sadly, the administration's action towards the airport security and TSA has stepped backwards. It is fulfilling, it is currently fulfilling project twenty twenty five's blueprint to privatize TSA, destroy the TSA workforce union, and intimidate immigrants. The president's proposed budget seeks to privatize screening operations at nearly two hundred and fifty airports which would undo the gains, we have made in airport security since nine eleven. At the same time, the administration is is trying to strip TSA of its collective marketing rights despite multiple federal judges' orders, ordering DHS to preserve the TSA labor agreement. These actions endanger airline safety and they should be rejected. But even before this administration, TSA has been struggling with recruitment and retention issues. Um, very quickly, Doctor uh President uh Doctor uh Kelly, uh yes or no, is it important to have a well-staffed TSA workforce to ensure safe and secure airline travels?

It's certainly uh important to have that uh and and and you know this is inherent government's to work and this work should be performed by uh federal employees, okay. And when you have a contract that have been negotiated between the agency and the workforce, you know you're gonna you're gonna enhance morale, you know and people are gonna feel like hey,

Yes.

you know I want to come to work here, I wanna do this work, okay.

So let me also ask, is it does the TSA struggle with recruitment and retention, we certainly heard that. from many of you already, so is it is that not the case?

That was the case prior to us negotiating a contract. When we negotiated a contract with TSA, attrition was actually cut into half.

Okay. Would recruitment, retention and performance bonuses for TSA uh officers improve retention and morale?

Yeah, yes.

Okay. I agree with you, Doctor Kelly, and that is why that that is why Senator Lujan and I introduced a bill to address these very s- specific issues.

Mm-hmm.

My bill would uh set the minimum base pay for TSA personnel at forty thousand dollars, ensure that TSA personnel are paid during shutdowns, and give TSA staff a one-time ten thousand dollar bonus. Um, the modernization cannot come at the expense of those who have helped protect our nation for decades. TSA agents must not be a political football. Uh, during government shutdown, they deserve to have a consistency and earn a min- a living wage for their service. I hope that my colleagues will join me in supporting my bill and have the backs of our TSA workforce. We've heard that be said today by many of my colleagues. I hope that they live up to that. Thank you so very much to all f all of you.

Thank you.

I yield back. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

General Lady yields back. I now recognize the gentleman from Virginia, Mister Walkinshaw, for five minutes.

Uh, thank you, Mister Chairman, and thank you and the ranking member for convening today's hearing and to our witnesses for appearing. Since returning to office, President Trump has unleashed the Doge chainsaw on the federal workforce, and as we speak, they're aiming it directly at our Transportation Safety Officers. I represent a community in Northern Virginia that's home to fifty thousand federal employees. Five to ten thousand of them are now out of work because of this administration's, often illegal, actions. Federal workers have been unlawfully fired, subjected to mass reductions in force, lost vital employment protections and bargaining rights, and forced to endure toxic workplaces designed to push them out. And I appreciate my colleagues' concern about the impact of shutdowns on morale. But my question for you is, where were you? Because the Trump administration's motives were clear from the start. It's never been about efficiency, effectiveness, or even public safety. OMB Director Ross Vought said it. This administration's goal has been to put federal employees in trauma. And that includes our Transportation Security Officers, who work hard to ensure travelers can get through screening in a timely manner that American They are the federal workers that this administration has said they want to put in trauma. The administration has repeatedly tried to resend forty-five thousand TSOs' collective bargaining rights, creating uncertainty about their workforce protections, I should say illegally tried to resend their collective bargaining rights. Secretary Noem applauded officers for working during the shutdown appropriately. But their reward was her renewed effort to strip their workplace rights. As we've heard today, we lost eleven hundred officers during the shutdown. The Trump administration now proposes to reduce TSA personal funding by five hundred twenty-nine million dollars in FY twenty-seven, and eliminate eighty-four hundred TSO positions with plans to replace half with private contractors. Trauma. Doctor Kelly, in your testimony you highlight the professionalism, the reliability of our TSOs. They take an oath to serve, undergo extensive background investigations, complete rigorous training to keep the traveling public, all of us, safe. What impact do these repeated attacks We've talked a lot about the shutdown appropriately, but I wanna talk about the attacks, the threats, the politicization, the trauma, efforts to undermine morale, what impact has that had on recruitment retention and operational readiness?

Well, thank you so much. Uh, you know, it definitely have an adverse impact on recruitment, on morale. I mean, when you when you look at uh what these uh workers have gone through over the last, uh, sixteen months, I mean, you can only say that it only bring down morale You can only say that recruitment, I mean, who would wanna come to work for an organization that says, you know what, I'm not gonna pay you while you work. You know, you're not gonna get paid until either side that, you know, you wanna get paid. That creates a problem for uh the workforce. It creates a problem for our ability to ensure safety for the flying public. And so I think that it's vitally important, and you hear me say this over and over again, you know, I think it's vitally important that we pass this uh uh workforce act, the the the, you know, I think it's also vitally important And we begin to praise these employees rather than come at them and antagonize them, and try to defeat them every way that you can. We should be praising them, saying thank you for the work that you perform for the American public, and not beat them down.

Thank you. Mister Sununu, uh you've had a long and successful career. You've managed organizations, small, medium, large. Your members have tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of employees. I want to ask you to respond to Mister Vogt, I'll just ask you in your experience as a leader of organizations, are your employees more effective, efficient, better able to accomplish the mission if they come to work traumatized?

Well, no, of course not. You need a healthy a a hel- a healthy workforce.

Thank you. Mister McLachlan?

Right, the same.

Okay. I I yield back, Mister Chairman. Thank you.

Gentleman yields back. I now recognize the gentleman from Tennessee, Mister Van Epps, for five minutes of questions.

Thank you, Mister Chairman. And thank you for holding this hearing today. Thanks to our witnesses for working with us as we ensure TSA continues safeguarding our skies while adapting to evolving threats and the needs of the traveling public. As former Administrator David Pekoski said, TSA's mandate is not only to mitigate the threats of today, but to preempt evolving threats as our adversaries continue to adapt. For twenty-five years, TSA has sought to prevent another attack like nine eleven. and has navigated a world filled with increasingly sophisticated adversaries. Today, TSA's no-fail mission benefits from screening technologies that didn't exist a few decades ago. But as both technology and the nature of modern threats change, TSA must stay ahead of the curve. Strong partnerships with airports and airlines w- will remain critical to ensuring the federal government can respond effectively and keep Americans safe. The mission of this committee today is to ensure TSA has what it needs to continue meeting the demands of that challenge, to keep Americans safe, and to do it in a way that both encourages and uses American innovation. Today, travelers expect technological solutions to the inconveniences of the past. While TSA's priority is security, we must continue optimizing and modernizing to serve the American people while not compromising safety. To that end, I want to thank our witnesses for joining us today to lend us their insights as key partners in the industry TSA serves. Mr. McLaughlin and Mr. Sununu, TSA aims to lead on counter unmanned aircraft capabilities by securing airports. Do you believe TSA should have expanded statutory authorities to coordinate with airports and surrounding areas on counter UAS standards and regulations?

So, so I I would just say that uh a lot of the uh UAS regulations will fall under FAA, and and the most important thing we need is communication. We need our agencies to not to live in silos. whether it's TSA, FAA, the airports themselves, the private and public aspects, they all need much better communication as this potential threat grows. Uh, and I think that's one area where we have seen it, it fall apart a little bit, is on that communi- on that communication side.

So I would add that, uh, under the FAA, uh, airport rulemaking committee, uh, work that was done a few years ago, I was proud to participate in that committee on counter UAS. There's a framework that exists. And I think that, yes, It's it's it's okay for TSA to perform as the lead federal agency in terms of response, but it can't be done in a silo, and they must rely on the knowledge and experience of their local partners. At DFW we have a standing SWAT team, we have a standing bomb squad, we have a cadre of drone pilots that are all well-trained and equipped to participate in a counter-UAS mission in conjunction with our federal partners. We're excited about the opportunity to do that. We represent about seven and a half percent of the daily flights in the NASS, and it's important that we have the opportunity to protect DFW as it protects transportation through the NASS.

Now, as a follow-up to that, how successful do you see TSA's progress in counter drone capabilities?

So, so candidly, it's, it's not seen on a day in and day out basis. It's still very limited. There's much more that can be done in partnership again with with local partners. um including airports that are interested and willing to participate in joint operations

thank you

yeah and i would just add it's it's not just tsa it's it's faa it's customs and border patrol it's the airports themselves as they again through the tsa uh uh regulations and guidance it's the airports that are really in charge of their perimeters so it it has to be and everybody has both the responsibility and authority to be at that table and have input i would even argue department of war um you know given some of the the um the counter surveillance capabilities uh that they bring to the table, testing of new uh innovations and materials, new technologies. Um, it, everybody has to has to be there and we're just at the very, I think, initial cusp of of what can and probably should be done.

As a follow-on to that as well, the federal air marshals have a crucial mission to secure high-risk flights. But as we consider what the future of TSA looks like, should the air marshals play a larger role in counter-UAS mitigation at airports?

So certainly the the federal air marshals in in from a TSA perspective do today play a a significant role in in that work. The issue is that federal air marshals aren't everywhere all the time, and we need the capability everywhere all the time.

Yeah, I would disagree with that.

Right.

You know, it everybody has to be involved.

Great. Thank you so much. I'm just about out of time, so I'll go back. Thank you. Thank you for being here. Appreciate it a lot.

Gentleman Neal's back. I now recognize the gentleman from Louisiana, Mister Carter, five minutes of questions.

Thank you, Mister Chairman, and thank you to our witnesses for joining us today. You know, I've sat here all morning and I've listened to my colleagues on the other side uh speak with such uh admiration for our TSA workers and advocating for their pay and making sure they're paid, yet this very committee advanced a pay raise for our TSA workers. And not one, not one of my Republican colleagues supported that. So it's one thing to stand here or to sit here today and talk with such energy about how much you appreciate and how much they should be paid and how underpaid they are, but when given the opportunity to vote for a pay raise, they all said no. Just let the record reflect. Action versus talk. Action dictates when it was time to really recognize the importance of our TSA workers, we advanced a pay raise. Talk suggests that you talk about it, but when the opportunity to vote for it, they said no. I just want to put that on the record, as I listen to every member uh offer their their glowing reports about how much they should be paid when in fact they voted against the pay raise. For seventy-six days, Donald Trump and the Republicans created chaos at our airports and across critical homeland security operations, refusing to work in the best interest of the American people. Throughout the DHS shutdown, TSA offices continued working to carry their essential missions of protecting the public and keeping the aviation system secure. The front-line personnel at TSA were forced to operate under extraordinary strain while facing uncertainty about their own financial security. All because Donald Trump and his allies in Congress care more about having an unaccountable secret police force than competent functioning Department of Homeland Security. Now the administration is trying to privatize the TSA and rescind the workforce union union rights. These actions are not just a slap in the face to the TSA officers who work diligently every day it also puts the nation uh national security at risk. Listen, when I go to the airport's airport uh, employees are worried. They're worried about this notion that there may be some privatization to bring people in who are not trained to make their jobs more difficult so they will seek other employment. There's a concerted effort to go after these very people who we've all said today put their lives on the line. Now's the time to stand up. And I challenge my Republican colleagues to meet us in protecting these TSA workers. to protect them from privatization. Doctor Kelly, during the shutdown, many TSA offices reported struggling to pay rent, covered child care costs, or commute to work while still being expected to protect millions of travelers every day. What did you hear directly from front-line offices about the human impact of working unpaid during the shutdown?

You know, it's real. Uh, the thing is, about sixty-five percent of Americans live from paycheck to paycheck. These employees are no different. You know, they were struggling uh with they had to make choices. Am I gonna buy medication? Am I gonna buy gasoline? Am I gonna feed the children? Or am I going to pay for daycare so I can get to work? So it was real issues that they were facing every single day, and it brought morale down to its lowest peak.

But overwhelmingly they still showed up.

But they showed up.

Overwhelmingly they still showed up.

Absolutely.

They demonstrated they were frustrated that their their commitment and their dedication to the safety of Americans was even more important than getting their pay. That says something. That means we, as members of Congress regardless of our party, should do everything in our our power to protect them from some effort to gobble them up and toss them away. You know, I've heard the rumblings of a not-so-hidden motive, demoralize TSA offices and ultimately monetize the agency. the president's corporate donors can profit. How has these actions of this administration led to the attrition of TSA officers? And what should we do? Because if if if officers are listening to this and they're afraid that there may not be a future, naturally people are gonna start to peel off and find something more permanent. What should we, uh, as members of Congress, or how can we further help to fend off this notion of siphoning out the profit of an agency that is so important to our national security and protect our TSA workers. And if you can give me a quick answer, I, cuz I wanna ask the other two gentlemen to give me their answer on that as well. If you would indulge me, Mister Chairman.

I think we gotta figure out a way to quit using TSA, our federal employees, in general as pawns, right? In a political game, this should never happen. So I think that's where we have to start.

Okay. Mister McLaughlin.

Yeah, candidly as an industry witness here today, we're watching you all do the same thing here that you do on TV. If you're serious about it, get together and make it happen.

Bingo, I'm with you. Governor?

Look, we're we we don't uh Airlines for America does not take a position whether privatization is is good or bad. Uh we we want airports to choose, cuz every airport is different on the privatization. But understand, during the shutdown, you know where morale was highest? At the pri- at the airports that had privatized. cuz they kept paying their workers. Every time anyone in this org and I don't care, I'm not looking at party or anything here, Republican or Democrat, any time you voted not to f- to f- pay and fund DHS and TSA, you were telling all those were those public sector workers, maybe we should look at the private side because the private side guys were getting paid, and morale was great, and we didn't have any staffing issues there. So not funding and paying DHS and TSA was incentivizing people on the public side of the of the ledger to want to be on the private side. Again, I don't care where you work. We just care about the safety and security of more folks to come and understand

And and and reclaiming my time, reclaiming my time, reclaiming my time,

there are repercussions to that.

uh, thank you, reclaim my my time which is already over. I just wanna say, and and Mister McLachlan, you said it best, it's time for us to stop talking about it and do something about it. We can sit here and say how important TSA workers are, yet when there was an opportunity to offer a pay raise, you chose not to. When it's the time now to stand up and and with all due respect, Governor Sununu, privatization has proven to be the death knell to unions, proven to be the death knell to waters,

Yes, gentlemen.

I yield.

The gentleman's time has expired. Again, I'll I'll mention for the record, when it comes to the shutdown, Republicans on this committee voted four times to reopen the government. Uh, I now recognize the gentleman

But against pay raises.

I'll now I'll now r- I recognize the uh the gentleman from Texas, Mister Green, for five minutes of questions.

Thank you, Mister Chairman. I thank the ranking member, and I thank the witnesses for appearing today. And in the interest of full disclosure, I am a dues check off member of local fifteen fifty of Ask Me. I am proud to be associated with labor in more than words, but rather with my deeds and my actions. I'm also pleased, Mister President, Dr. Kelly, to associate myself with your commentary today, I think you have been on point. I think that we have to protect the integrity of work, the integrity of work. And to this end, I have two pieces of legislation that I'll call to your attention. The first is H R eight four one one. Section one, short title. This is the style of it, the title of it. It reads, " This act may be cited as the original legislation to give TSA employees a raise." That's the short title. Section two, TSA employee pay increase. It reads, "In general, beginning on the first day of the applicable pay period, the annual rate of basic pay for each career employee shall be increased by fifteen percent. And that starts upon this legislation being passed. Next bill has not been filed, but I'm gonna file it. Because it is likely that there will be another shutdown. I regret to say it. My preference is that it never happens. I don't think we should have people work and not get paid. Given my history in this country and the history of my ancestors, working without pay is something that is totally unacceptable for me, because my ancestors worked for some two hundred and forty years without a pay day. One of the fir- first time in this country and probably the only time that we've had complete employment for people of color from Africa. So I I am adamantly totally, absolutely, and completely antithetical to people working without pay. But it's likely to happen again. So here's something that I think may catch your attention. Have not filed it. The short title is, this act may be cited as the original Federal Accountability and Income Restoration Pay Act, or the Fair Pay Act. Section two. By the way, these are very short bills. Uh, it doesn't require a lot of time to uh consume this intelligence. Section two reads, increase in back pay for missed paychecks during government shutdown. And this is for all federal employees. No federal employee should work and not be paid. And here is the appropriate language. "Following the first scheduled pay date occurring during a such lapse of pay, each person shall be paid at a rate of one and a half time for each hour worked." So you get time and half time. By the way, I'm paraphrasing. We have time and have time for every hour that you work when you're not paid, when we do restore the pay. Th- this is not my preference, but it at least will encourage and incentivize, hopefully, some persons to make that sacrifice, because it is a sacrifice to work and not be paid. It is. But for us in Congress, we can, we - we - we probably, many of us can make it without being paid for a while. But um, these workers are the workers that approached me when I was walking through the airport in Houston, Texas. And the worker approached me and said, "Help us. Help us. I'm validating what you said. Help us. Don't forget about us."

Mm-hmm.

Well, I'm keeping my word. These two pieces of legislation will not only help, but it shows that we won't forget. And I just do believe that we ought to pay people time and have time for any time that they work. By the way, I thought about making it more than time and have time, but I just know that people here are gonna have a problem with any time. So I'm trying to be reasonable. But if I had my druthers, I would make it more than time and have time. Would you care to give a brief uh response to my commentary of Mr. Kelly, Doctor Kelly?

Well, first of all, I appreciate that. Um, I appreciate your uh gesture because uh these employees have gone through enough and someone they need someone to stand up and say I'm thinking about you. You know, I'm thinking about you because you're the one that's providing a service for the American people. And you need to know and understand that Congress is standing with you and not against you. So I appreciate that.

I'm at a pass pu- uh place in the the Congress of the United States. a resolution to do exactly what you just said. I'm gonna file the resolution. Now, let's see who signs off on the resolution to honor people who serve without pay.

I'll see.

I yield back. Thank you.

Gentlemen, he's back, um, I think we're just gonna I have I have four questions, so I'm gonna just go to a second round quick, I I wanna and and which will allow other members to go to a second round, uh, if they have questions, but I'll I won't use up my full five minutes. I do wanna mention that, you know, Purpose of this hearing today was to talk about modernization of TSA, and what some of the pieces of legislation we're gonna be considering uh in the future hopefully that are bipartisan, that we really think could help um make traveling safer uh and um make uh the experience better for everyone, both the workers that Mister, Doctor Kelly represents, um as well as the passengers that fly on Governor's uh the planes uh and through Mr. McLaughlin's airports. Um, as peop- a a lot of my colleagues talked about Republicans wanting to privatize today um airports that was not uh the focus of this hearing um and this screening partnership program was something that was bipartisan. Um, and Mr. McLaughlin you talked about um you talked about how it it you know it's up to the airports and l- have the program so they could they can opt in or decide whether they want to opt in or not. and i look at the airports uh that have opted in some of them and you know to say that this is a republican thing i yeah i would have to point yeah maybe it is a republican cause the very conservative cities of san francisco seattle and atlanta uh have all decided to to either opt in or possibly opt in so yeah maybe maybe it's not a republican uh republican thing um but uh so i i just wanna point that out but um i do wanna ask you mister mclachlan and maybe Uh, sir Sunu, Governor Sunu, if you wanna add in something after this. Can you highlight the programs you are engaging with at your airport, such as TSA's reimbursable reimbursable screening services program to help improve the passenger screening experience and better manage major surges uh in travel, without decreasing uh s- aviation security? Uh, specifically if you wanna focus on the RSSP.

Yes, so I would. May I may I just add, I was asked earlier and didn't have really a chance to respond to if I would opt in or not, We've had federalized screening for twenty five years almost. Large airports like San Francisco have had an SPP program for twenty five years. Uh, my primary rationale for not opting in is because it's working for me. It's also working for San Francisco. The system has been safe for twenty five years. It's important that airports have options. One option that airports should be able to utilize is RSSP. It's a program that TSA has put in place. It allows uh airports that have a need to provide outside of the context of a normal screening terminal. So not normal terminal screening, but where you need something different from TSA. In our case, we're opening um a private suites lounge next week that will be staffed by RSSP, that will al- allow for a quick uh uh access through that facility for the customers that choose to opt in for that. And it's only possible through RSSP, so we're grateful for that program.

And that's partnered with TSA officers and CBP, correct?

Uh, it is staffed by TSA and CBP officers.

Thank you. Governor.

Yeah, I was just gonna make that point that it is staffed by TSA, it has the rigorous standards, and it's been proven to be a great option to take the pressure off that that traditional TSA funnel uh for for those airports and those uh organizations who choose to use it.

With the World Cup coming, you know, a lot of people will be able to use that, and uh and I think that'll be uh will be a benefit. Um, I'm also, so without objection, I'm also for the I'm gonna enter for the record

a letter from the US travel association dated may twentieth twenty twenty six uh regarding this hearing uh and uh i'm gonna thank you all for for coming and doctor kelly uh again thank you and for the wonderful work uh that oh actually i did have a question for you i heard something from my locals yesterday regarding um tsa bringing uh contacting some of your members who might have cold and sick uh during the shutdown and and they're being disciplinary um procedures happening kinda concerns me uh if people were using legal personal or or sick time um so i i i don't you don't have to get on the record now about it but if if if you we could speak off the record on that uh at a longer time so we could talk about that cause i don't think that that's right uh but i appreciate uh i appreciate uh you all being here today so i yield back and i recognize the gentleman from california uh mister mister for his five minutes

thank you mr. chairman i wanna also thank our witnesses for being here today and we follow up with a chairman's comments on on the fact that uh what our mission is safe travel, safe skies make sure when you get on a flight you don't have to worry about a tragedy happening to you thirty thousand feet up in the air um and that's where i i think we gotta focus on the job, on the mission mister mclaughlin you said that very clearly focus on the mission and that's why i think we gotta come back and and talk about the mission and not ideology not project twenty twenty five, not mandatory privatization. As the chairman said, we have very uh conservative cities like San Francisco that maybe employ a private system, but that's for their needs, that based on historical context, it works for them. Uh, you're the people at the front lines, okay. You're the people that are making it happen. Uh, doctor Kelly, your folks are out there making sure that they can do their job. And they should have a voice through collective bargaining to let us know, to let Mister McLaughlin and others know what they need. That's called a partnership. That's making sure that nobody scores on us. Uh, and and so with my last few moments, I would ask all of you to work with us collaboratively, come up with some practical solutions. We don't want silos, as you mentioned earlier. That's why we created Homeland, because we had a silo that enabled nine eleven to happen. And we don't want that. We want communication, collect the people who know what's going on, where the rubber meets the road, to tell us where that evolution of the mission is going. It's not personnel, it's not new machines, it's better trained personnel to work with those new machines that are out there. And that's a little bit different than saying private, project twenty twenty five, or otherwise. It's listening to you. So with that in mind, I ask you, work with us. I have an open office as well as I'm sure the chairman is, to listen to what you've got in mind, and work with you. And with that again, I thank you for being here today, and thank you for the good work. As the chairman, I yield.

Gentleman yields back, and I recognize the gentleman from Tennessee, Mister Ben Epps, for questions if he has.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just a couple more questions focused on modernization and the customer experience. Gov- Governor, what model nations do you look at for winds in air trap travel operations abroad? Where is the gap between US standards and potential improvements elsewhere overseas?

I don't think there's a an overseas model that we look to per se. I th- because our u- our airspace is so unique. We are the largest, most robust, most uh important airspace in the world, and we have access to the best technology and the best capital. So I think we look at the technologies we have here, our abilities and our ability to innovate, um, and making sure that that isn't being talked about for six or seven years, maybe come through a piece of legislation three years after that, and by the time it gets implemented it's already a fifteen year old piece of technology. So, um, I think it's all about speed and implementation of what America has to offer and and what America delivers. Um, there are certain aspects in in in Europe that use a certain piece of software or maybe in Canada how they manage things. But nobody is as big and robust and has such demands on the system as us. Nobody compares to us. So we, I think it's best to bring our own subject matter experts. Uh, you bring the airports together, you bring the airlines together, you bring the folks at FAA together, uh, as a team. And I think we're seeing that. I think in the last year you've seen that tremendously with the air traffic control modernization project where private industry has a lot of not control but input in terms of what works what doesn't, and how to bring it to bear.

Great. Thank you, sir. Mr. McLaughlin, since the implementation of TSA is one stop security, pilot program at your airport. Have you noticed a significant drop in screening time for international transfer passengers and do you recommend extending this program to additional airports throughout the US?

Yeah, so the because it's a pilot program and it's limited to Heathrow right now, the on a statistical basis, uh, I can tell you that a hundred percent of the customers coming off the Heathrow flights are experiencing uh a significant improvement in wait times. I I said earlier, the first person off the airplane is waiting seven minutes between leaving the jet bridge and reentering the sterile area. Um, absolutely the program should be expanded. It should focus on both passengers and baggage where possible, and we should expand beyond, uh, the six original pilot sites that were, uh, that were listed in legislation. Now, it should also be made permanent. Right now it's a pilot program set to expire in twenty twenty eight, and we would ask you to make that program permanent.

Great, thank you, sir. And finally, Mr. Chairman, I would like to submit for the record a statement from the Cargo Airline Association.

That objection.

Uh, thanks, sir. I yield back.

Yep. Gentleman's y- yields back. Um, the members of the committee may have some additional uh questions.

Mister Mister Chairman, am I allowed to?

Oh. Yes, I'm sorry, Mister Green. I didn't recognize the gentleman. I didn't see you down there.

That's that's quite all right.

Gentleman.

Thank you, Mister Chairman. Uh, Mister Chairman, I ask a unanimous consent that I be allowed to place HR eight four one one in the record as well as the legislation for the original Federal Accountability and Income Restoration Pay Act, the Fair Pay Act, in the record, uh, once I have filed it, uh, with, uh, your consent and approval, and without objection, I ask.

Without objection.

And I also, Mister Chairman, have a brief commentary. Um, this comes under the heading, "It's not enough for things to be right, they must also look right." It doesn't look right. for you or the TSA workers to work without pay while members of Congress are being paid. Not only does it not look right, it isn't right. And I just believe that if there's going to be a shutdown, and if the TSA workers are not paid, or any federal workers are not paid, I don't think Congress should be paid. I don't think we should enjoy the benefit of receiving a paycheck while other people are living from paycheck to paycheck without the paycheck. I don't think that's right. I'd like your commentary, Mr. Kelly.

Uh, I I I too think that that is not right. Um, I think it should be fair and equal across the board, right? I mean, we all the all federal employees, and if one federal employee is not getting paid, uh for services they render to the american public and then next federal employees should not be paid that's my opinion

uh that's a

absolutely they they they shouldn't be paid but yeah I mean that that that's I think it's obvious but

alright intuitively obvious to the most casual observer

yeah

smart box

yeah I think it's fair I think there are provisions that you all could look at to insure that TSOs do get paid similar to other law enforcement agencies as Doctor Kelly pointed out earlier,

Mm.

this doesn't have to be one or the other, it could be choosing, Congress choosing to pay TSOs in the event that there is a future shutdown.

Uh, I I would agree with you except that I would add to your commentary, any employee. I I think that the TSO is important, but people just shouldn't work and not be paid. I mean, this this is un-American. This is not the country that as spouses, liberty and justice for all, if you're gonna do that, this is not liberty and justice for all, as we as we pledge allegiance to. It's just, this this just makes sense. At some point you have to just make sense. I yield back.

Gentlemen, yield back. Uh, the members of the committee may have some additional questions for the witnesses, and we ask that the witnesses to respond to these in writing. Presert, pursuant to committee rule seven E, the hearing record will be held open for ten days without objection. committee stands adjourned