Transportation Security Subcommittee to Hold Hearing on TSA Body Scanners

Washington, D.C. – The Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation Security, chaired by Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), will hold a hearing entitled “TSA's Recent Scanner Shuffle: Real Strategy or Wasteful Smokescreen?” tomorrow at 10 a.m. in 311 Cannon House Office Building.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has decided to replace backscatter Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) machines, worth $14 million, in large airports with millimeter wave AIT machines, and send those backscatter machines to a storage facility in Texas.  Tomorrow’s hearing will examine TSA's process for testing, evaluating and deploying backscatter technology, the timeline for implementing Automated Target Recognition (ATR) privacy software on backscatter machines, and TSA's plans for its remaining 155 backscatter machines currently deployed in the field.

Rogers said: "TSA is about to warehouse 91 body scanners that cost taxpayers $14 million.  Despite initial reports, these scanners, which were removed from large airports, will not be used in small airports, nor will they be updated with privacy software anytime soon.  This raises serious questions about the entire process for developing this technology and how much taxpayer money is at stake.  At this hearing, the Subcommittee will investigate the actions that got us to this point."

WHAT:       Subcommittee Hearing: TSA's Recent Scanner Shuffle: Real Strategy or Wasteful Smokescreen?

WHEN:       10 a.m., Thursday, November 15, 2012

WHERE:     311 Cannon House Office Building

                   **Live video feed will be available HERE

Opening statements, witness testimony, and the live video feed will be available HERE.

Witness List:

Mr. Jonathan Cantor

Acting Chief Privacy Officer

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Mr. John Sanders

Assistant Administrator for the Office of Security Capabilities

Transportation Security Administration

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

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