July 09, 2003   LIEBERMAN WARNS OF TOO LITTLE ACTION ON TRANSPORTATION SECURITY Strategic Plan, Funding Remain Unsettled   WASHINGTON - Governmental Affairs Committee Ranking Member Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., in a continuing effort to oversee the progress of the Department of Homeland Security, warned that the Administration is doing too little to protect the nation’s transportation networks - including mass transit, rails, ports, containers, and air and freight cargo. In a letter to Secretary Tom Ridge, dated July 9, 2003, Lieberman cited multiple independent reports documenting serious vulnerabilities in all areas of transportation security. “While the Transportation Security Administration has made progress in and devoted resources to improving air passenger and baggage screening, this same level of commitment has not been evident in other modes of transportation such as rail, public transit, air cargo or maritime,” Lieberman wrote. “Despite substantial documentation of the security deficiencies in these other areas, and widespread acknowledgment that security must be enhanced, little has been done by the Administration to remedy these vulnerabilities.” Lieberman noted the lack of an overall transportation security strategic plan seven months after the TSA became part of the Department of Homeland Security and more than a year after its creation. And even in the area of passenger aviation, security gaps persist. Lieberman pointed out, for example, that as of May 31, half of TSA’s approximately 53,000 airport screeners still had incomplete background checks. Lieberman also sought to pin down details about TSA’s $900 million shortfall for Fiscal Year 2003 and reconcile it with the Administration’s proposed $500 million decrease in TSA funding for Fiscal Year 2004. “The Administration’s apparent lack of commitment to taking concrete steps toward improved transportation security outside of passenger aviation is illustrated by its funding requests for TSA,” Lieberman wrote. His questions to Secretary Ridge include: To what extent does the Administration plan to rely on the private sector to secure privately held rails, pipelines, and cargo systems? When and how will air cargo be scrutinized to the degree that air passengers and their baggage are? What measures have been taken to protect subways, buses, ferries, and commuter rail? And how does the Administration plan to fund the requirements of the Maritime Transportation Security Act, which requires physical improvements at the nation’s seaports?   ###   Printable Version   Related File(s)   Lieberman's letter to Ridge (71.0 KBs) « previous Press Release next Press Release »   1998 - 1999 - 2000 - 2001 - 2002 - 2003 - 2004 - 2005 - 2006 - 2007 - 2008 July 2003 Press Releases   July 31 - Lieberman Presses for Administration Leadership, Accountability Pursues Declassification of 27 Redacted Pages   July 30 - Government Privacy Protections Fall Short   July 29 - White House Creating Impression it Has Something to Hide   July 28 - Lieberman Takes President, Fellow Democrats to Task on Security, Foreign Policy   July 25 - Dodd, Lieberman Announce $1 Million for Fire Fighters   July 24 - Lieberman Seeks Explanation for "Clear Evidence" of Use of Arbitrary Quotas in Competing Federal Jobs   July 24 - Did Bush Administration do Everything that Could Have Been Done?   July 24 - First Responders Need Additional Resources   July 24 - Lieberman Laments Lack of Homeland Security Resources   July 23 - DLC/PPI: More Evidence of Poor Homeland Security Record   July 16 - Lieberman Challenges Administration Refusal to Acknowledge Security Vulnerabilities   July 11 - DOT IG Documents Abuse of Federal Resources   July 10 - Lieberman Asks Homeland Security IG to Reopen Texas Probe Into Abuse of Federal Authority, First Report Abdicated Key Responsibility   July 9 current Press Release   July 8 - Lieberman: 9-11 Panel Can't do Its Work Without White House Help   July 8 - Lieberman Responds to Bio Terror Report   July 2 - Lieberman Seeks Transparency on Interior's Plans for Highways Through Pristine Public Lands   July 1 - U.S. Intelligence Burdened by Same Handicaps That Failed the Nation on 9/11
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 340 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510