▶ 0:16:38Committee on Homeland Security will come to order. Without objection, the chair may declare the committee in recess at any point. 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 now recognize myself for an opening statement.
▶ 0:17:05Good morning and thank you to our witnesses for being here today. As we reflect on nearly 25 years since September 11th terrorist attacks, today's hearing will focus on TSA modernization for travelers from the perspective of leaders across the industry. First and foremost, we must recognize the impact that recent shutdowns have had on TSA's frontline workforce. Between the 2025 and 2026 shutdowns, transportation security officers endured a total of 119 days impacted by shutdown conditions.
▶ 0:17:33That means TSA officers spent roughly 40% 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 Dr. Dr.
▶ 0:17:54Everett 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 11th.
▶ 0:18:23And 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 an evolving threat landscape, record high passenger volumes, and lagging technological capabilities compared to our peers 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
▶ 0:18:53tools 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.
▶ 0:19:17One of the most important TSA modernization priorities is ending the version of the 911 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 fees 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.
▶ 0:19:44That 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 funding levels for aviation security capital as well as new passenger security checkpoint technology. Committee's also exploring an expansion of the reimburseable reimburseable screening services program to provide airports with the flexibility to segment operational needs while keeping TSA at the forefront and maintaining top security standards.
▶ 0:20:11We'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 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.
▶ 0:20:35The 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 21st century world with the 20th cent with the 20th century tools and We must continue to build on the lessons learned in the 25 years since September 11th.
▶ 0:21:06The 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 sends his regrets from Jackson, Mississippi, where he is rallying at this very moment for voting rights and fair representation.
▶ 0:21:37Ranking 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 Today, my committee Republicans are launching an effort to modernize TSA to help advance the president's so-called golden age of travel.
▶ 0:22:00Sadly, all what glitters is not gold as travel under 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.
▶ 0:22:24The Department of Homeland Security used taxpayer funds to purchase luxury direct 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.
▶ 0:22:43And even worse, the administration has repeatedly forced a government shutdown after government shutdown to insist on maintaining an unaccountable, outofcontrol police force at ICE, leading to the longest TSA weight 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.
▶ 0:23:13And 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.
▶ 0:23:39this Congress under the Republican control and this committee has done very little TSA oversight even as we embark on an efforts to modernize TSA and in fact this committee has not held a single hearing or member briefing focused on TSA with TSA witnesses.
▶ 0:23:59The acne TSA administer Estrader has twice appeared alongside other components at hearings with a broad THA focus and the subcommittee on transportation, maritime and security held one TSA focused hearing with a non-government panel and that's it.
▶ 0:24:21Since day one, the administration has executed a coordinated campaign to carry out its project 2025 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.
▶ 0:24:51Thankfully, Afg 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.
▶ 0:25:14And even worse, the administration forced too 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.
▶ 0:25:40For 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 TSOs are critical to our national security. They should not be used as political pawns.
▶ 0:26:06The 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.
▶ 0:26:20In the president's budget request for fiscal year 2027, TSA proposes requiring about 250 small airports to bring in private security under the screening screening partnership program or SP. SP was created in 2001 to allow airports to voluntarily opt out of TSA screening. voluntarily opt out of that screening.
▶ 0:26:50When an airport applies and is approved to participate in the SP, TSA contracts with a private vendor that conduct screening under TSA oversight. and private contractors must follow the same security procedures and maintain approximately the same staffing levels as TSA. But however, they are only required to pay screeners a salary matching TSA's entrylevel pay.
▶ 0:27:20And 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 20 years experience at an airport that joins SP will be offered entrylevel pay or be out of a job. So let's be clear, folks.
▶ 0:27:48Screening partnership program is built on cutting officers pay. Consequently, SP 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 SP airports because of this retention problem.
▶ 0:28:16And airports recognize the downsizing or the downsides of privatization. Over the last 25 years, airports have had the option to join SP at any time and only a small handful have done so.
▶ 0:28:35To try to entice airports to join SP, TSA has recently rolled out a new expanded b version of SP called Gold After pitching the program to airports and private industry for months without notifying Congress during all these months, TSA finally notified Congress of this program just last week.
▶ 0:29:01Under 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.
▶ 0:29:24As 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 25 years.
▶ 0:29:41The administration's proposal would 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, excuse me, at at airport Clearly, Republicans could invest in new USA technology if they wanted to. But the truth is, this isn't really about saving money.
▶ 0:30:11It's about pushing an privatization ideology. Those who endorse the administration's attempt to privatize TSA are placing profits over their promise to never And to meet this moment, Congress, we should reject proposals to mandate privatization and instead ensure SP remains a voluntary program as it
▶ 0:30:41has been for years and years. And this committee should also advance ranking member Thompson's right for the TSA Workforce Act, which the chairman, Mr. Gabberino and myself have the rights for the TSA Workforce Act would provide TSA workers with full collective bargaining rights, third party appeals process, and fair pay.
▶ 0:31:10The bill in the past has passed the House with bipartisan support and it this bill today is needed more than I look forward to hearing from the witnesses today on how 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.
▶ 0:31:36Gentleman 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 pretty good oversight. Uh it's May and she was here in January and March. 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
▶ 0:31:55not directly on TSA issues, sir.
▶ 0:31:58No, she was here to talk about TSA issues. Um I mean, she's a TSA minister. That's why we would have her here twice in 5 months. Just pointing that out for the record. Um and also the bills that I spoke about in the opening statement are all bipartisan bills just like the bipartisan bill that uh Chair Rank Member Thompson and I I co-sponsored together with you. We do hope that bill gets to the floor.
▶ 0:32:22Other members of the committee are reminded that opening statements may be submitted for the record. I would now like to formally introduce our Governor uh Governor Christopher Cenounu has served as the president and CEO of Airlines for America since September 2025 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.
▶ 0:32:52Prior prior to joining A4A, he served as the 82nd governor of New Hampshire. Mr. Chris McLaclin 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. Mr. McGlaclin previously served as executive vice president and chief operating officer at Denver International Airport. Prior to his work at airports, Mr.
▶ 0:33:18McLaclin led TSA's office of security operations where he played a critical role in establishing the TSA PreCheck program. Dr. Efred Kelly is the national president at the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union representing federal and DC government employees. a longtime union leader, Army veteran, and ordained minister. He has served as AFGE national president since February 2020 and is his third consecutive term.
▶ 0:33:45And again, I want to thank him for uh when the government was shut down to do what he could to to get it back open. He took a brave stand and you did a that was really good for your members. So, thank you very much, Dr. Kelly. I want to thank all the witnesses for being here today. Presumed to committee rule 8C, I ask that the witnesses please rise and raise their right hand.
▶ 0:34:12Do 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 Cenounu for five minutes to summarize his opening statement. Well, thank you very much. Um, good morning, Chairman Gabino, Representative Korea, members of the committee.
▶ 0:34:40So, 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 25 years now after the tragedy of 9/11.
▶ 0:34:55I 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. Frontline TSA officers have spent over half of this fiscal year without an on-time paycheck.
▶ 0:35:24And 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.
▶ 0:35:49According to polling from just this past March, 93% of Americans said it was quote important for Congress to pass legislation that would guarantee TSA officers get paid on time. 93% of Americans cannot agree on anything, but on this they are very clear and the airlines stand ready to work with you and to to ensure that these disruptions never threaten our travelers or our economy again.
▶ 0:36:15And in addition to eliminating the impact of government shutdown on TSA, I would like to highlight a few targeted ideas that enjoy bipartisan biccameal 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 2004, check baggage screening infrastructure has been funded by a $250 million annual investment, which is unfortunately scheduled to expire in 2027.
▶ 0:36:45And we are very grateful to Chairman Gabino, 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 modernize check baggage systems.
▶ 0:37:14This 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.
▶ 0:37:30In 2023, 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 check 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.
▶ 0:37:56Also, make TSA's reimburseable screening services program, the RSSP program. Make that permanent. The reimburseable 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 to the United States in 2028, an influx of millions of visitors and athletes may require unique screening solutions that requires this kind of flexibility.
▶ 0:38:25And like with onetop, this too has been a success. And we believe this pilot program should be expanded and made We also need to sustain investment in research and de development. The R&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 uh discussed and unrecognized unfortunately here in Washington. Sometimes TSA needs to evolve to address those emerging threats.
▶ 0:38:55And 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.
▶ 0:39:17Airlines for America and its members are are here with their expertise and their resour 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.
▶ 0:39:31Thank you Governor. I now recognize Mr. Mclofflin for five minutes to summarize his opening statement.
▶ 0:39:36Chairman Garberino, Congressman Koreah, and distinguished members of the committee. Thank you for the opportunity to testify. My name is Chris Mclofflin 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 PreCheck. The United States has the most complex aviation system in the world and TSA personnel successfully perform their demanding mission every single day.
▶ 0:40:02While 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 missionfocused workforce.
▶ 0:40:30We cannot continue to ask frontline personnel to operate under constant uncertainty while expecting operational excellence. In this light, I want to thank TSA acting administrator Ha McNeel 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 field who carried out their mission with dedication, even when choosing between food or fuel.
▶ 0:40:58Congress must ensure that this never happens again. Our skies will not be safe if our checkpoints aren't secure. Almost 25 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.
▶ 0:41:28At DFW, we are investing heavily in the future of security. When our current capital program is complete, we will have grown from 44 to more than 80 total screening lanes, including 47 with advanced screening technology. Giving our timing, we utilized TSA's capability acceptance process and funded these investments ourselves.
▶ 0:41:51That 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 roll out. 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.
▶ 0:42:19The 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.
▶ 0:42:42Now, 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, 97% say OSS saves them time and 80% say onetop would influence their port of entry decision. Importantly, 97% cited that that bypassing TSA is the single biggest benefit.
▶ 0:43:13DFW 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.
▶ 0:43:37DFW 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.
▶ 0:44:03TSA needs flexibility to test, evaluate, and quickly scale successful technologies. RSSP programs 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.
▶ 0:44:32Thank you again for the opportunity to testify today, and I look forward to your
▶ 0:44:39Thank you, M. McLolin. I now recognize Dr. Kelly for five minutes to to summarize his opening statement. Well, 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 911, but 911 was hardly the first tragedy that might have been avoided uh with better airport security.
▶ 0:45:00I think of Panam Flight 103 that was blown up over uh Locker Bridge, Scotland when 259 passengers and 11 people on the ground were killed by Moar 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.
▶ 0:45:31That 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.
▶ 0:45:59They 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.
▶ 0:46:21Each 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 16 months, TSOs have endured three government shutdowns, totaling more than four months without reliable pay. They have had their collective bargaining rights unilaterally rescended.
▶ 0:46:48They've been given a budget proposal that cuts 8,400 positions and hands their job to private contractors. And yet, they show up. They showed up during this uh shutdown and continue to show up. They screen 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.
▶ 0:47:18The federal aviation security model Congress built after 911 was not a bureaucratic or sourcing or reference preference. It was a lesson learned in blood. And as the saying goes, lesson learned in blood are not soon forgotten. Before 911, airport screening was not recognized as the solemn governmental responsibility it is today. Screeners were paid at a nearly minimum wage. Turnovers exceeded 100% per year.
▶ 0:47:47Training was minimum. The consequence was catastrophic. Today's TSOs are not those pre 911 contract screeners. They take an oath to the constitution. They pass rigorous background and investigations. They pass uh operation that are sophisticated uh detection equipment that they use every single day. When TSO was given fair pay and the ability to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement a few years ago, turnover declined by half.
▶ 0:48:15We 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 Bennett 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.
▶ 0:48:43Some have argued 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 laps as any other in line with the AY'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.
▶ 0:49:13Contractors 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 offered no protection from funding. It only strips the flying public of the safety and security of highquality professionals screening while taking away the screener civil service u procedures that hardworn and they fought for.
▶ 0:49:41So remember, any of us could have been on Panama 103. Any of us could have been on 911, but we're here thanks to the security that we have
▶ 0:49:53Thank you, Dr. Kelly. Members will be recognized by order of seniority for their five minutes of questions. I now recognize the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Fluger, for five minutes.
▶ 0:50:03Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I thank the witnesses for being here. Um, and a lot of kudos, Mr. Mclofflin, uh, to what DFW does. I fly through there all the time. Um, you run 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 want to say thank you uh back to my district to St. Angelo to Midland. Um, you guys came to work with a smile on your face. You kept our airport safe.
▶ 0:50:32You weren't paid for for multiple months. Uh, and I want to thank you for the work that you did. Uh, Dr. 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
▶ 0:50:47Definitely not the case.
▶ 0:50:48Well, and and in in fact, they weren't paid for how many months? Uh it's over 75 days. Uh so you you you said they do something that is sacred to keep us safe. That Panama flight, I'm so glad you brought that up. It wasn't just 911. There were a string of events, weren't there, before 911. 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?
▶ 0:51:16I certainly think that we are still facing those threats. I mean, there are those in this world uh that want to harm
▶ 0:51:23And they would use air travel to do that harm, wouldn't they?
▶ 0:51:26Say that again.
▶ 0:51:26They would use air travel to do that harm, wouldn't they?
▶ 0:51:29I think they could. Yes.
▶ 0:51:31Well, Dr. Kelly, let me ask you a question. How harmful was it for our TSA to have to go home to their families and tell them, "I'm not going to get a paycheck." How harmful was that to the overall force?
▶ 0:51:48You 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, they don't do it for free. 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
▶ 0:52:12and they take that very seriously. And in fact, they came to work multiple months without getting a paycheck, didn't they?
▶ 0:52:17That's a fact.
▶ 0:52:18Dr. Kelly, do you also represent uh folks that work with Border Patrol?
▶ 0:52:22I certainly do.
▶ 0:52:23What What What's their feeling? H how how's their morale right now?
▶ 0:52:28on the subject of not getting paid, how is their morale?
▶ 0:52:32You know, I think I think anybody's morale is down when they're not getting paid, but they all they too understand the mission. They too understand that they're working for the American public.
▶ 0:52:40How many months can they go with a Congress telling them that they don't want them to exist?
▶ 0:52:47You know, I don't think they should have to go one day.
▶ 0:52:49I agree
▶ 0:52:50with with with the Congress telling them that they should not exist. What they should be doing is praising these gone for over 119 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 the duties and they performed it well.
▶ 0:53:08That is very well said, Dr. Kelly. Mr. Mclofflin, um, let's change over to TSA and how do you balance the potential benefits of private screening operations with the importance of maintaining a well-trained and well ststructured TSA? give us an example there at DFW and then how would that apply to Midland and to St. Angelo if we were to put that model in place.
▶ 0:53:29So, um to the point that was made earlier, the SP program has been around really since the onset of TSA and and it has worked for 22 airports around the country. I think it's important for airports to have choices. I think there might be places where an SP 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 SP. A lot of that has to do with labor availability and other issues in remote areas at an airport like DFW.
▶ 0:53:59And 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.
▶ 0:54:27They 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.
▶ 0:54:36How tragic is that?
▶ 0:54:38It is. But but it speaks to it speaks to the quality of the workforce and that should be commended.
▶ 0:54:43I maintain good contact with with Miss Smith uh at DFW and a lot of praise for her continuing to motivate those. Mr. Cenounu, very quickly, um how important it is is it for the folks that you represent to have an operation that keeps uh the airline and air traffic safe, specifically TSA and their
▶ 0:55:03The national 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 handinand glove together and I I firmly believe on the private side the airlines and the other 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.
▶ 0:55:25There'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.
▶ 0:55:37I'm I'm sorry my my time has expired. Any further thoughts on that, please? Uh, in writing.
▶ 0:55:41No, just that the the government has to do their their their job. They got to pay their employees. Period. End of story. No excuses. Political issues don't matter.
▶ 0:55:49Thank you. I yield back.
▶ 0:55:50Gentleman yields back. I now recognize the gentleman from California, Mr. Korea, for 5 minutes.
▶ 0:55:54Thank 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.
▶ 0:56:24Any 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 going to feel pain, I got to feel the pain. It's got to be that's that's at minimum what we have to do.
▶ 0:56:52Um, so again, let's make sure our workers are paid on time. Mr. Mclofflin, talking about SP, you said 22 airports around the country are actually privatized. Is your airport
▶ 0:57:08Uh, our airport is not privatized.
▶ 0:57:10And 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 SP or should we let those folks decide for themselves?
▶ 0:57:34So, 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.
▶ 0:57:42Mr. Cunu.
▶ 0:57:44Yeah. Again, the program is very successful, but airports need the flexibility to make their own choices. Every airport's different. If if you've seen one airport, you've seen one airport. Every everyone
▶ 0:57:54Dr. Kelly,
▶ 0:57:55there'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 one that is looking for a buck, one that's looking to make uh a buck off of the American people. So that's why it's vitally important that we pass the shutdown fairness act, you know, 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.
▶ 0:58:23We got to we got to see these screeners, you know, at 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.
▶ 0:58:33You know, you bring up a good point, Dr. Kelly, which is you think about police officers, FBI agents, you want to pay them well.
▶ 0:58:39You want to pay them
▶ 0:58:40because 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 and day out, making sure bad folks or bad things don't get on the on those lights.
▶ 0:58:58You want to professionalize, and that's what we doing for the last few years that I've been here, trying to reduce attrition rate, trying to professionalize TSA workers, making sure they're the best of the best because you know what? They can't fail once. If they fail only once, that's a major disaster in our airways.
▶ 0:59:21So 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 benefit would be in favor of. How about you, Dr. Kelly?
▶ 0:59:37Mr. Mclofflin. Yeah, I mean in conversations over the years, pay is probably the single most important thing for our for our TSA
▶ 0:59:47Governor Cenounu,
▶ 0:59:48yeah, 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 more important that they actually get a paycheck. Governor Cunnu, 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
▶ 1:00:09no pay for members of Congress.
▶ 1:00:11100%. Yeah, I'd
▶ 1:00:14go public would probably support that
▶ 1:00:17At 92 or 93%.
▶ 1:00:19Most members of Cong. 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, Mr.
▶ 1:00:49Chairman. With that, I yield.
▶ 1:00:52Gentleman yields back. I now recognize myself for uh five minutes of of Mr. Mr. McLaclin, 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 away from its intended purpose, supporting aviation security technology, protecting our flying public. Safeguards 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.
▶ 1:01:22From the perspective of the third busiest airport in the world, how impactful would it be for Congress to fix this aversion of the of the passenger security fee and support the advancement of new security equip and security equipment and technology? It
▶ 1:01:35would 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 20% over the next 5 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.
▶ 1:02:00Now, we'll kick that off this year to the tune of more than $50 million, and that's just the first bite at the apple.
▶ 1:02:07Um, 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 911 fee is disheartening. So the sooner we get this resolved the better. The fee diversion should stop. I think it's near 16 billion over the last 12 to 13 years. Um and that would go an awful long way.
▶ 1:02:34The 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.
▶ 1:02:51Yeah. No, I'm very excited that we have um you know, Congressman Strong is also an appropriator. So, working with the appropriations committee to make sure we get this done right is I think is great. And the fact that you just brought it up uh travelers, consumers, customers are paying twice now for the security that uh they that should already have been there based on the the billions of dollars already that was diverted. Um Dr.
▶ 1:03:14Kelly, can you talk about what what it would do for your your membership, the TSOS, uh to have this new equipment, you know, how it would make allow them to do uh a better job, you know, because they they they can rely on better equipment, uh and do it quicker because 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 traveler.
▶ 1:03:43So they have to deal with the customer service aspect. Uh so they a lot of times they get the brunt of angry um angry travelers which is not fair. How does investing in newer technology help your members? You know 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.
▶ 1:04:10you know, and and and the fact of the matter is you're not going to 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 the line, but then you got to 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 Americans fly safely.
▶ 1:04:37I I I I think I agree that you know uh that TSO should be paid. Uh I think they uh they do a lot of great work for not a lot of money and this is why there's such still there still is turnover. I think uh you said 50 almost 50% was turnover I think in your opening statement.
▶ 1:04:54Uh so I do think that this would help uh it's not it doesn't solve I think it would help uh the problem though investing more in the security because 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 Mr.
▶ 1:05:18Cenounu or Governor Cenounu, looking ahead, uh we have a lot of with the World Cup coming up and the Olympics in two years and America 250 and Sale 250. Uh what what is the um what have you all what have the airlines been doing to partner with uh the airports to make sure um traveling uh is uh is eased.
▶ 1:05:38Well, you know, I I I reference um acting administrator McNeel's comments that she made. I I believe was 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 negative impact, but they're putting in overtime. I mean, they really are to make sure that the technologies there, the the protocols are there to be able to handle uh what we expect and hope to be a big rush uh in into the United States for summer travel.
▶ 1:06:04Uh right now we're seeing international somewhat 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 handin glove.
▶ 1:06:31We're with the FAA and with DOT literally almost every single day saying what else needs to be done? Where are their gaps in the system? And as I referenced earlier, 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. They have be better resources. They're from bigger and stronger areas. They can rely on other investments coming in. Some are not.
▶ 1:06:54So, what we're really trying to do is look at where those potential gaps are and supplement them uh with resources, technology, and and subject matter experts to make sure that that we're ready.
▶ 1:07:03Thank you. I'm partial to LaGuardia and JFK in my hometown of Iceland, but pretty good, too.
▶ 1:07:07That's all they're all great. But thank you. Uh, I now recognize the gentle lady from Illinois, Miss Ramirez, for five minutes of questions.
▶ 1:07:14Thank you, chairman and ranking member. Well, 76 days, right, Dr. Kelly? 76 days. That's how long Trump and Republicans pretended to care about TSA workers on camera with the PR stunts we saw 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.
▶ 1:07:44disrespecting unpaid TSA workers with the deployment of 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? 400 TSA workers quit. But this comes as no surprise.
▶ 1:08:06As I said on March 20 on March 25th, the administration's goal as outlined in project 2025 is the same. To privatize TSA. Why? So that they can line pockets of Trump donors. Because this 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.
▶ 1:08:35Corruption 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 hardearned 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, let me be frank.
▶ 1:09:04It's difficult to sit here and pretend to have a real discussion on modernizing TSA, especially when Trump himself has proposed cutting $52 million from TSA's funding, all while he's demanding an additional $72 billion 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.
▶ 1:09:35But there is so much discussed about the administration's attacks on the TSA. So, I want to 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, Mr.
▶ 1:10:04Kelly, 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.
▶ 1:10:20Many of them are veterans. Correct.
▶ 1:10:22Say it again.
▶ 1:10:23Many of them are veterans.
▶ 1:10:24Many 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 119 days of not being paid over the last 12 months. Uh contracts been gutted and then on top of that, you're told that now we're going to contract out your jobs.
▶ 1:10:47I mean, morale has to be at the bottom.
▶ 1:10:51Yeah. 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 term, uh Kowski, who negotiated a contract with AFGE,
▶ 1:11:11and 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 made sure that they had gotten paid adequately.
▶ 1:11:24And so to now come back and say, "We're going to do all of these miserable things to you." Morale is at record low.
▶ 1:11:33Yeah. And and Doc and President Kelly, I I absolutely couldn't agree with you more 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 $50,000 signup bonus, and they were getting paid while they were going without pay and unable to pay their mortgage.
▶ 1:12:00So, President Kelly, did TSA officers report staying home specifically because they feared that immigration enforcement by ICE agents deployed alongside with them would cause concerns for them? Did you have any folks who didn't come in because they were worried about standing next to these ICE agents or what that condition would create for the TSA
▶ 1:12:20I I can't answer that question for surgery. I've not heard of any of those type of situations.
▶ 1:12:25Got it. Well, listen, let let me wrap up in saying this. There's two [music] 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.
▶ 1:12:47We 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.
▶ 1:13:01Gentle lady yields back. Just uh for the record, the members, Republican members in this committee voted four times to fund TSA workers in the last nine months. Uh I now recognize the gentle lady from South Carolina, Miss Biggs, for five minutes of questions.
▶ 1:13:14Thank you, Mr. 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.
▶ 1:13:38The 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.
▶ 1:13:59They wait in the same lines as everyone else, often with children, gear, and a hard deadline on the other side of the I will soon be introducing the improving travel for military members act.
▶ 1:14:13This legislation authorizes the TSA administrator to stand up a pilot program at a minimum of five airports prioritizing air 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.
▶ 1:14:36get 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, Mr.
▶ 1:15:04Mclofflin and Governor Cenounu, I want to 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?
▶ 1:15:30And if so, what would you need to see from Congress, from TSA, and from industry itself to make this expansion a reality?
▶ 1:15:41Well, uh, I'll start. 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 work closely with airlines to make sure that we're um that that we're honoring the service of our our service men and women.
▶ 1:16:04When 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.
▶ 1:16:17I 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 service for individuals that need a little extra time and care to properly process through a checkpoint without undue disruption.
▶ 1:16:35And 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 100% 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.
▶ 1:17:03I would just add 100%. I mean, what I I think what the TSA already does, uh, with the TSA cares program, uh, which has expedited screening for our 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. I you can never kind of do enough. Here's one. I mean, we have we have airlines now looking at how could we donate miles?
▶ 1:17:30How could you as an 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 kind of 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 unfortunately can fall on them.
▶ 1:17:57Well, thank you so much for your input and thank you Dr. Kelly for your service and Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
▶ 1:18:05Gentle lady yields back. I now recognize gentleman from New York and the co-lead for the Safeguards Act, Mr. Kennedy.
▶ 1:18:11Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, appreciate you bringing that up. I want to begin my remarks by recognizing that important legislation 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.
▶ 1:18:38It's a bipartisan bill does two important things with the intention of ensuring that 9/11 passenger security fees that $560 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.
▶ 1:19:00First, the bill allows for $500 million to be allocated in 911 fees annually for improved check bag technology and screening. And second, it provides $250 million annually for checkpoint technology improvements at airports such as exit lanes to enhance seamless travel and improve threat detection.
▶ 1:19:23Because we know after 911 with the creation of the passenger fee, Congress came together to dedicate sustained, reliable, regular investments in aviation and airport security. However, unfortunately, about $1.6 billion annually in these fees goes towards debt reduction.
▶ 1:19:44That means $1.6 6 billion 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.
▶ 1:20:02The Safeguard Act invests in much needed improvements for security screening and brings us closer to ending 911 fee diversion, guaranteeing that TSA and its employees have the federal resources it needs to keep our skies safe. Mr. Chairman, I know you're also supportive of this legislation and I hope that this committee will consider the bill soon and I thank you.
▶ 1:20:23On 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.
▶ 1:20:52And 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. Dr. Kelly, it's great to be with you in Alabama this past weekend. It's good to see you again.
▶ 1:21:16Uh, 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?
▶ 1:21:36Okay. As as we thank you for the question and it was good to see you as well. Uh but as we for stated uh when we negotiated in my opinion one of the best contracts in the federal system uh was reduced to 50%.
▶ 1:21:55So 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.
▶ 1:22:20They decide whether or not they want to 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 frontline security personnel.
▶ 1:22:49Yet here they are actively working to 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
▶ 1:23:10You know, as I fored 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 [clears throat] 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 con no issue that came up that they didn't deal with.
▶ 1:23:38No weapons got through, 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 going to contract out your job.
▶ 1:23:56Please pass along our thanks and gratitude to these frontline heroes, the TSOs and let them know that we stand with them. Uh Mr. Chairman, my time I yield back.
▶ 1:24:06Thank you. Gentleman yields back and I recognize a gentleman from Colorado, Mr. Evans, for 5 minutes.
▶ 1:24:11Thank 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. 119 days, two Democrat-led shutdowns resulted in 1,600 TSA employees just in Colorado and thousands more across the US going without pay as they work to protect Americans and air transportation. Let's go through the bills.
▶ 1:24:35HR7147, 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.
▶ 1:25:05It 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 the governor.
▶ 1:25:32Uh my yes or no question uh would you advise Congress against the practice of withholding employees paychecks for the purposes of political negotiations? Governor will start
▶ 1:25:42should never be done ever.
▶ 1:25:44Yes. Or
▶ 1:25:46the same thing he said. [laughter]
▶ 1:25:48Advise against.
▶ 1:25:49Advising against
▶ 1:25:51Dr. Kelly. Thank you. Uh I I agree with you all and and I hope my colleagues are taking notes here. Uh Mr. Mclofflin, my my next question will be to you. Um, I was a cop in the Denver metro area, uh, for a little bit over 10 years. And so I know that the best way to recruit and retain good officers is you got to give them stable employment. Um, and so as the former COO at Denver International Airport, you're very familiar with the day-to-day operations of security at that airport.
▶ 1:26:19And so my question to you is, how do these shutdowns impact your ability to recruit and retain officers? Can you talk about the situation that's come about in terms of morale, recruiting, and retention from 119 days of Democrat shutdowns?
▶ 1:26:34Well, so and and just to be clear, the the officers are federal employees. They they don't work for for DIA 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 likely to look at federal employment when they've got no certainty of pay. I agree. I saw the same thing in law enforcement.
▶ 1:27:01It's hard to get new people to come in when they don't even know if they're going to get a paycheck if they sign up for this new job. Um, moving on here. Uh, we've talked about my law enforcement career. Um, I spent 12 years in the US Army too, also as a as a Blackhawk 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 do uh, in Congress. It's been 25 years since September 11th.
▶ 1:27:29And we remember that Congress established TSA just a couple of months after September 11th 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 $560cent fee to fund the critical workforce and technology that TSA needs to screen employees and passengers and ensure safety for all of us.
▶ 1:27:57In 2025, these fees resulted in $4.5 billion 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 co-sponsor of the safeguards act uh led by uh my colleagues Mr. Strong and Mr.
▶ 1:28:22Kennedy 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?
▶ 1:28:48Well, look, first and foremost, we effectively been living a lie, right? Every time we tell a passenger that they're paying a 911 fee, we're lying to them because there 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 Han McNeel's statement uh when we looked at the technology that's really needed to get us where we need to be.
▶ 1:29:14Right now, we're on pace for maybe 2042, 2043, like 15 years out. That's how far behind we are and that's how much we've let down both the TSOs 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.
▶ 1:29:37Um 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.
▶ 1:29:47Thank you. Yield back.
▶ 1:29:48Gentleman yields back. I now recognize a gentleman from M Michigan, Mr. Tanadar, for five minutes.
▶ 1:29:53Thank 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.
▶ 1:30:18So this discussion matters a lot to my constituents who rely on TSA or are themselves TSA workers. During the most recent Homeland Security we saw a large number of TSA workers forced to work without pay, furoughed or outright quitting their positions.
▶ 1:30:47putting a strain on a vital service. Due to a lack of TSA staffing at airports, we saw ICE [clears throat] agents who were to handle airport security issues and often stood around rather than put in place of TSA workers. We must ensure this never happens again.
▶ 1:31:17And 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 The administration has uh emphasized and efficiency with NTSA, but technology alone cannot replace experienced personnel at
▶ 1:31:48checkpoints. In your view, why is maintaining a stable and adequate staffed workforce is still essential even as airports adopt more advanced screening technologies.
▶ 1:32:05Thank you. Thank you for the question because it's it's my belief that you know irregardless to the technology you're going to 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 deescalation of situations now can't be done by technology you need an experienced TSO to do that job and they do it very
▶ 1:32:35will.
▶ 1:32:36Thank you. As this committee considers the future of TSA modernization and aviation 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.
▶ 1:33:06I'm particularly concerned about the morale and the high turnover and we're losing a lot of our experienced hardworking TSA workers because of this uncertainty that they have seen over uh last year or so with uncertainty about are they going to get paid are they going to get paid on time. Many people living paycheck to paycheck makes uh this uh very hard for them.
▶ 1:33:36Um what um so what uh issues that needs to be addressed to make these workers feel more comfortable and appreciated?
▶ 1:33:50And thank you for that question. Um two number one to pass the shutdown 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. Okay, I I think that's vitally important. I think that you begin to increase morale. Okay, when you do that.
▶ 1:34:15Secondly, 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.
▶ 1:34:37Thank you so much. My time is up, so I yield back.
▶ 1:34:40Gentleman yields back. I now recognize the gentleman from Oklahoma, Mr. Peen for five minutes of questions.
▶ 1:34:46Thank you, Mr. Chairman. You know, as we are all discussing the 250th anniversary of our nation, there's also another anniversary that will happen in 911 occurs. It'll be the 25th 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.
▶ 1:35:17This 70 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 professions in terms of the screening that TSA utilizes.
▶ 1:35:35And 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 got to go do something else." And so, Mr.
▶ 1:35:52Mclofflin, I would love to hear uh your commentary um 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.
▶ 1:36:12Um yesterday there were 400 different uh flights that were uh delayed of sorts out of DFW and if you want to speak to that if there was anything in connectivity to what I just asked in this in this question.
▶ 1:36:27So uh first let me talk about our on-time performance. We had a major weather event yesterday come through our system. 400 flights seems like a lot but we uh operate 2100 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 25 years. I think we have to recognize that evolution has to happen.
▶ 1:36:53Everything 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 going to grow by 20% over the next five years. We're at about 85 million passengers a year. We'll be at 100 million in uh in 2030. Uh DIA was mentioned earlier. It's going to hit a 100 million soon. The the ecosystem continues to grow.
▶ 1:37:23Our 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. Onetop is an incredible program. I'm glad we get a chance to to talk about that.
▶ 1:37:48Onetop again, so OneTop Security uh was uh started as a pilot program a few years ago. By the way, it's been in planning for 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.
▶ 1:38:15So, 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 TSAs the opportunity to to rescreen 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 the last customer off the airplane is back in the sterile area in less time than it would have taken them to process the oldfashioned way.
▶ 1:38:43Uh uh I said earlier about 97% uh of our customers acknowledge that it saves them time. 80% of those customers say that they would choose DFW as their point of entry because of the one-stop experience. And 97% 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.
▶ 1:39:09No, 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 we've seen it as a huge success and the airlines are very supportive.
▶ 1:39:23Gentleman yields back. I recognize the gentleman from Puerto Rico, Mr. Hernandez, for Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Mr. 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.
▶ 1:39:43The island sees massive passenger surges during spring break and summer when families move to and from the mainland and airports like Luis Munos Marin 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.
▶ 1:40:11Airports 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.
▶ 1:40:41It is harmful for the people of Puerto Mr. Mclofflin and Governors Cunnu, 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 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
▶ 1:41:12um no one's want is going to sacrifice safety just to push people through the funnel that much faster because, you know, the the staffing wasn't there. The customer service the customer service experience for an airline is not when you get on the 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 technolog is there and you know I'll I'll just emphasize something that that Mr. Mclofflin brought up.
▶ 1:41:37The technology is not 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 on the personnel side. It's to enhance them. is 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.
▶ 1:41:59So 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.
▶ 1:42:08Thank you. And Mr. Mclofflin briefly because I have time.
▶ 1:42:11So look, I would I would agree with that. At airports, we survey our customers 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
▶ 1:42:26Thank you. I I want to ask a few questions of President Kelly since I have a few minutes left. Dr. 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.
▶ 1:42:48Now, 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.
▶ 1:43:07Uh that was one of the main issues, you know, and that was one of our issues as well because, you know, that diverg from the safety of our flying public, you know, uh so that was that was the main concern that I heard from our
▶ 1:43:20Did it affect their morale, the fact that they TSA agents were not being paid while ICE agents were?
▶ 1:43:26Certainly it did.
▶ 1:43:26And it was absurd.
▶ 1:43:28Absolutely. And do you think that has an effect over attrition?
▶ 1:43:31I I think so. Yes. You know, because because they they have this um uncertainty, right, of whether or not I'm going to have a job tomorrow or not. And this person here, you know, they 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,
▶ 1:43:45I could see the frustration on the faces of TSA agents in the San Juan airport as that happened.
▶ 1:43:51Absolutely. 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.
▶ 1:44:03Thank you. I yield back. Gentleman yields back. I now recognize the gentle lady from New Jersey, Miss Poe, for five minutes questions.
▶ 1:44:12Thank you. Thank you so very much, Mr. Chairman, and to our ranking member for calling this me uh hearing. [clears throat] And I want to thank also the witnesses that are here today. Good morning uh Governor Cunnu. Uh good morning to Mr. Mccclaclin and to President Dr. Kelly. Thank you so very much for being here.
▶ 1:44:33You know um the terrorist uh uh attack of September 11th, 2001 forever changed our nation. For me and so many in the northern New Jersey, 911 is personal. Um, our neighbors worked in uh those buildings and our first responders rush to ground zero to assist with search and rescue efforts.
▶ 1:45:01From 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 At that time, Congress rightfully recognized that the security screening of airline passengers was too important to
▶ 1:45:32be left to profit margins and market forces. Now, as threats and security has become more sophisticated 25 years later, we must have honest conversations and examine legitimate needs of TSA.
▶ 1:45:48as a member of both the Homeland Security Committee, but um as but also as the House Transportation Committee where I serve as rank 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.
▶ 1:46:16It is currently fulfilling project 2025'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 250 airports, which would undo the gains we have made in airport security since 911.
▶ 1:46:40At the same time, the administration is is trying to strip TSA of its collective bargaining 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.
▶ 1:47:09Um, very quickly, Dr. uh, President uh, Dr. uh, Kelly, yes or no. Is it important to have a well staffed TSA workforce to ensure safe and secure airline travels?
▶ 1:47:22It's certainly uh, important to have that uh, and and you know, this is inherent governmental 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 going to you're going to enhance morale, you know, and people are going to feel like, hey, you know, I want to come to work here. I want to do this work.
▶ 1:47:45So, 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?
▶ 1:47:56That was the case prior to us negotiating a contract. When we negotiated the contract with TSA, attrition was actually cut into half.
▶ 1:48:05Okay. Would recruitment, retention, and performance bonuses for TSA uh officers improve retention and morale?
▶ 1:48:13Okay. I agree with you, Dr. Kelly, and that is why that that is why Senator Luhan and I introduced a bill to address these very specific issues. My bill would uh set the minimum base pay for TSA personnel at $40,000, ensure that TSA personnel are paid during shutdowns, and give TSA staff a one-time $10,000 bonus.
▶ 1:48:41Um, 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 earned 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.
▶ 1:49:11I hope that they live up to that. Thank you so very much to all all of you. I yield back. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Gentle lady yields back. I now recognize the gentleman from Virginia, Mr. Walkenshaw, for five minutes.
▶ 1:49:23Uh, thank you, Mr. 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.
▶ 1:49:41I represent a community in Northern Virginia that's home to 50,000 federal 5 to 10,000 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.
▶ 1:50:09And 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. OM Director Ross Vault said it. This administration's goal has been to put federal employees in trauma.
▶ 1:50:35And that includes our transportation security officers who work hard to ensure travelers can get through screening in a timely manner, that American families can travel safely. They are the federal workers that this administration has said they want to put in trauma. The administration has repeatedly tried to resend 45,000 TSOs's collective bargaining rights, creating uncertainty about their workforce protections.
▶ 1:51:03I should say illegally tried to rescend their collective bargaining rights. Secretary Gnome 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,00 officers during the shutdown.
▶ 1:51:26The Trump administration now proposes to reduce TSA personal funding by $529 million in FY27 and eliminate 8400 TSO positions with plans to replace half with private contractors. Dr. Dr. Kelly, in your testimony, you highlight the professionalism, the reliability of our TSOs.
▶ 1:51:51They 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 want to 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?
▶ 1:52:18Well, thank you so much. Uh, you know, it definitely have an adverse impact on recruitment, on morale. I mean, when when you look at what these u workers have gone through over the last uh 16 months. I mean, you can only say that it only bring down morale. You can only say that recruitment, I mean, who would want to come to work for an organization that says, you know what, I'm not going to pay you while you work. You know, you're not going to get paid until I decide that, you know, you want to get paid.
▶ 1:52:48That 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 that they they you know I think it's also vitally important that we begin to praise these employees rather than come at them and antagonize them and try to defeat them every way that you can.
▶ 1:53:14We should be praising them saying thank you for the work that you perform for the American public and not beat them down.
▶ 1:53:20Thank you. Mr. Cenounu, 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 won't ask you to respond to Mr. Vote. 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
▶ 1:53:46Well, no, of course not. And you need a healthy a healthy workforce.
▶ 1:53:50Thank you, Mr. McLaclin.
▶ 1:53:52Right. The same.
▶ 1:53:53Okay. I I yield back, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.
▶ 1:53:56Gentleman yields back. I now recognize the gentleman from Tennessee, Mr. Van Eps, for five minutes of questions.
▶ 1:54:02Thank you, Mr. 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 Picausski said, TSA's mandate is not only to mitigate the threats of today, but to preempt evolving threats as our adversaries continue to adapt.
▶ 1:54:26For 25 years, TSA has sought to prevent another attack like 9/11 and has navigated a world filled with increasingly sophisticated adversaries. Today, TSA's noill 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 will remain critical to ensuring the federal government can respond effectively and keep Americans safe.
▶ 1:54:56The 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.
▶ 1:55:22To 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. Mclofflin and Mr. Cenounu, 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?
▶ 1:55:46So, so I I would just say that uh a lot of the 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.
▶ 1:56:08And I think that's one area where we have seen it it fall apart a little bit is on that communication 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.
▶ 1:56:38At 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 7 and a half% of the daily flights in the NAS and it's important that we have the opportunity to protect DFW as it protects transportation through the
▶ 1:57:07Thank you. 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 dayout basis. It's still very limited. There's much more that that can be done in partnership again with with local partners um including airports that are interested and willing to participate in joint operations.
▶ 1:57:31Yeah. 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 regulations and guidance. It's the airports that are really in charge of their perimeters. So it it has to be an everybody has both the responsibility and authority to be at that table and have input.
▶ 1:57:51I 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 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-risisk 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.
▶ 1:58:23So certainly the the federal air marshals and and from a TSA perspective do today play 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.
▶ 1:58:39Yeah, I would disagree with that. You know, it everybody has to be involved.
▶ 1:58:44Great. Thank you so much. I'm just about out of time, so I'll yield back. Thank you. Thank you for being here. Appreciate it a lot.
▶ 1:58:49Gentleman yields back. I now recognize the gentleman from Louisiana, Mr. Carter, for five minutes of questions.
▶ 1:58:54Thank you, Mr. 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.
▶ 1:59:14Yet 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.
▶ 1:59:45Just let the record versus talk. Action dictates when it was time to really recognize the importance of our TSA workers. We advanced a pay Talk suggests that you talk about it, but when the opportunity to vote for it, they said no.
▶ 2:00:06I 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 their pay raise. For 76 days, Donald Trump and the Republicans created chaos at our airports and across critical homeland security operations, refusing to work in the best interests of the American people. Throughout the DHS shutdown, TSA officers continued working to carry their essential missions of protecting the public and keeping the aviation system secure.
▶ 2:00:36The frontline personnel at TSA were forced to operate under extraordinary strain while facing uncertainty about their own financial 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 resend the workforce union union rights.
▶ 2:01:03These actions are not just a slap in the face to the TASA officers who work diligently every day. It also puts the national our national security at risk. Listen, when I go through the airports, 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.
▶ 2:01:26There's a concerted effort to go after these very people who we've all said today put their lives on the line. Now is the time to stand up and I challenge my Republican colleagues to meet us in protecting these TSA workers to protect them from privatization. Dr. Kelly, during the shutdown, many TSA officers reported struggling to pay rent, cover child care costs, or commute to work while still being expected to protect millions of travelers every day.
▶ 2:01:55What did you hear directly from frontline officers about the human impact of working unpaid during the shutdown?
▶ 2:02:02You know, it's real. Um, the thing is about 65% 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 going to buy medication? Am I going to buy gasoline? Am I going to feed the children or am I going to pay for daycare so I can get to work?
▶ 2:02:27So, it was real issues that they were facing every single day and it brought morale down to its lowest peak.
▶ 2:02:33But overwhelmingly, they still showed
▶ 2:02:35But they showed up.
▶ 2:02:36Overwhelmingly, they still showed up. Absolutely. They demonstrated 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 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.
▶ 2:03:04Demoralize TSA offices and ultimately monetize the agency so the president's corporate donors can 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 going to start to peel off and find something more permanent.
▶ 2:03:31What 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 because I want to ask the other two gentlemen to give me their answer on that as well. If you would indulge me, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 2:03:52I think we got to figure out a way to quit using TSA or 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.
▶ 2:04:03Okay. Mr. Mclofflin.
▶ 2:04:05Yeah. Candidly, [clears throat] 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
▶ 2:04:14Bingo. I'm with you,
▶ 2:04:19Look, we we don't Airlines for America does not take a position whether privatization is is good or bad. We we want airports to choose because every airport is different on the privatization. But understand during the shutdown, you know where morale was highest? At the private at airports that had privatized because they kept paying their workers. Every time anyone in this or and I don't care, I'm not looking at party or anything here, Republican or Democrat.
▶ 2:04:41Anytime you voted not to to pay and fund DHS and TSA, you're telling all those 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 ths 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 and reclaiming my time. Reclaim my time. Reclaim my repercussions to that.
▶ 2:05:11Thank you. Reclaim my my time, which is already over. I just want to say and and Mr. McLarol, 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 Cenounu, privatization has proven to be the death nail to unions. Proven to be the death nail to I yield.
▶ 2:05:39Gentleman's time is expired. Again, I'll mention for the record when it comes to the shutdown, Republicans on this committee voted four times to reopen the government. I now recognize the
▶ 2:05:48but against pay raises.
▶ 2:05:50I'll now I recognize the the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Green for five minutes of questions.
▶ 2:05:58Thank you, Mr. 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 1550 of ask me. I am proud to be associated with labor in more than words, but rather with my deeds and my I'm also pleased, Mr. President, Dr.
▶ 2:06:27Kelly, 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 HR8411 section one short title. This is the style of it, the title of it.
▶ 2:06:58It reads, "This act may be cited as the original legislation to give TSA employees a raise." That's a short title. Section two, TSA employee pay increase.
▶ 2:07:14It 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 And that starts upon this legislation being passed.
▶ 2:07:38Next bill has not been filed, but I'm going to 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.
▶ 2:07:56Given my history in this country and the history of my working without pay is something that is totally unacceptable for me because my ancestors worked for some 240 years without a payday. One of the f first time in this country and probably the only time that we've had complete employment for people of color from Africa.
▶ 2:08:18So 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 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.
▶ 2:08:50Section two, by the way, these are very short bills. Uh doesn't require a lot of time to uh consume this intelligence. Section two reads increase in back pay for missed government shutdown. And this is for all federal employees. No federal employee should work and not be paid.
▶ 2:09:18And here is the appropriate Following the first scheduled pay date during a such lapse of pay, each person shall be paid at a rate one and a half time for each hour So you get time and halftime. By the way, I'm paraphrasing.
▶ 2:09:48You got time and halftime for every hour that you work when you're not paid when we do restore the pay. 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 for for us in Congress. We can we we we we probably many of us can make it without being paid for a while.
▶ 2:10:18But 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." Mhm.
▶ 2:10:40Well, 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 halftime for any time that they work. By the way, I thought about making it more than time and halftime, but I just know that people here are going to have a problem with any time. So, I'm trying to be reasonable, but if I had my brothers, I would make it more than time and halftime.
▶ 2:11:09Would you care to give a brief uh response to my commentary of Mr. Kelly, Dr. Kelly?
▶ 2:11:15Well, 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.
▶ 2:11:38I'm going to pass place in the the Congress of the United States a resolution to do exactly what you just said. I'm going to file the resolution. How? Let's see who signs off on the resolution to honor people who serve without pay. I yield
▶ 2:11:57Thank you.
▶ 2:11:58Gentleman yields back. Um I think we're just I I have a question so I'm going to just go to a second round quick. I I want to and which will allow other members to go to a second round uh if they have questions, but I I won't use up my full five minutes. I do want to mention, you know, purpose of this hearing today was to talk about modernization of TSA and what some of the pieces of legislation we're going to be considering uh in the future hopefully that are bipartisan that we really think could help um make traveling safer uh and um
▶ 2:12:28make uh the experience better for everyone, both the workers that Mr. Dr. Kelly represents um as well as the passengers that fly on governor's uh the planes uh and through M. McLaclin's airports. Um as PE 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 the screening partnership program was something that was bipartisan. Um and Mr.
▶ 2:12:57McGlaclin, you talked about um you talked about how it you know it's up to the airports and have the program so they can 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 Republican because the very conservative cities of San Francisco, Seattle and Atlanta uh have all decided to to either opt in or possibly opt in.
▶ 2:13:25So yeah, maybe maybe it's not a Republican uh Republican thing. Um but uh so I I just want to point that out. But um I do want to ask you, Mr. Mclaclin, and maybe uh Mr. Governor Su, if you want to add in something after this.
▶ 2:13:40Can you highlight the programs you are engaging with at your airport, such as TSA's reimburseable reimburseable screening services program to help improve the passenger screening experience and better manage major surges uh and travel without decreasing uh aviation security specifically if you want to focus on the
▶ 2:13:59Yes. So, I would may 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 25 years almost. Large airports like San Francisco have had an SP program for 25 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 25 years. It's important that airports have options. One option that airports should be able to utilize is RSSP.
▶ 2:14:28It's a program that TSA has put in place. It allows uh airports that have a need to provide screening 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 allow allow for uh quick uh uh access through that facility for the customers that choose to opt in for that. And it's only possible through RSSP.
▶ 2:14:57So, we're grateful for that program. And that's partnered with TSA officers and CBP. Correct. At
▶ 2:15:03uh it is staffed by TSA and CBP
▶ 2:15:06Thank you.
▶ 2:15:08I was just going to 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
▶ 2:15:21With 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 with that objection, I'm also for the I'm going to enter for the record a letter from the US Travel Association dated May 20th, 2026 uh regarding this hearing. Uh, and uh I'm going to thank you all for for coming and Dr. Kelly again. Thank you and for the wonderful work uh that you Oh, actually I did have a question for you.
▶ 2:15:43I heard something from my locals yesterday regarding um TSA bring contacting some of your members who might have called in sick uh during the shutdown and and there being disciplinary um procedures happening. That kind of concerns me uh if people were using legal personal or or sick time. Um so 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 because I don't think that that's right.
▶ 2:16:13Uh but I appreciate uh I appreciate you all being here today. So I yield back and now I recognize the gentleman from California, M. Mr. Kra, for his five minutes.
▶ 2:16:22Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to also thank our witnesses for being here today. And let me follow up with a chairman's comments on on the fact that 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 30,000 ft up in the air. Uh, and that's where I I think we got to focus on the job, on the mission. Mr. Mclofflin, you said that very clearly. Focus on the mission.
▶ 2:16:53And that's why I think we got to come back and and talk about the mission and not ideology, not project 2025, 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 Dr.
▶ 2:17:21Kelly, 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 Mr. Mclofflin and others know what they need. That's called a partnership. That's making sure that nobody scores on us. Uh, 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.
▶ 2:17:51That's why we created Homeland because we had a silo that enabled 911 to happen and we don't want that. We want communication collection 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.
▶ 2:18:19And that's a little bit different than saying private project 2025 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 and thank you for the good work. Mr. Chairman, I yield.
▶ 2:18:46Gentleman yields back and I recognize the gentleman from Tennessee, Mr. Beneps, for questions if he has.
▶ 2:18:52Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just a couple more questions. Focus on modernization and the customer experience. Go. Governor, what model nations do you look at for winds in air travel operations abroad? Where is the gap between US standards and potential improvements elsewhere overseas?
▶ 2:19:08I don't think there's an overseas model that we look to per se. I because our 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 15y old piece of technology.
▶ 2:19:36So, um I think it's all about speed and implementation of what America has to offer 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 as a team. And I think we're seeing that.
▶ 2:20:03I 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.
▶ 2:20:15Great. Thank you, sir. Mr. Mr. Mclofflin, since the implementation of TSA's 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?
▶ 2:20:29Yeah, 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 100% of the customers coming off the Heathrow flights are experiencing uh a significant improvement in weight times. I said earlier the first person off the airplane is waiting seven minutes between leaving the jet bridge and re-entering the sterile area. Um absolutely the program should be expanded.
▶ 2:20:52It 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 2028 and we would ask you to make that program permanent.
▶ 2:21:11Great. Thank you sir. And finally, Mr. Chairman, I would like to submit for the record a statement from the Cargo Airline Association.
▶ 2:21:17Without objection.
▶ 2:21:19And thanks. I yield back.
▶ 2:21:21Gentleman's yields back. The members of the committee may have some additional questions.
▶ 2:21:26Mr. Chairman, am I allowed to?
▶ 2:21:28Yes. I'm sorry, Mr. Green. I recognize the gentleman. I see you down there.
▶ 2:21:32That's quite all right. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that I be allowed to place HR 8411 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 your consent and approval. And without objection, I ask
▶ 2:21:57without objection.
▶ 2:21:58And I also, Mr. Chairman, have a brief 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.
▶ 2:22:29And 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.
▶ 2:22:57Well, 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 federal employees and if one federal employee is not getting paid uh for services they render to the American public, then the next federal employee should not be paid. That's my opinion. Mr. Cenounu,
▶ 2:23:21absolutely they they shouldn't be paid. But yeah, I mean that's I [clears throat] think it's obvious, but
▶ 2:23:26intuitively obvious to the most casual
▶ 2:23:30Yeah, I think it's fair. I think there are provisions that you all could look at to ensure that TSOs do get paid similar to other law enforcement agencies as Dr. Kelly pointed out earlier. 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. I I I would agree with you. I accept 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.
▶ 2:24:01I mean, this this is unamerican. This is not the country that espouses liberty and justice for all. If you're going to 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.
▶ 2:24:22Gentleman yields 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 present pursuant to committee rule 7E. The hearing record will be held open for 10 days. Without objection, committee stands adjourned.