Transportation Security Administration Worthless Against Terrorism: Congress Report

Well, I had no idea........
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One of the most effective weapons in protecting airlines passengers from another terrorist attack is not the federal agency created to do the job, but the passengers themselves, according to a new congressional report.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is an ineffective bureaucracy of nearly 140,000 workers that has failed to detect any major terrorist threat since September 11, 2001, including the Shoe Bomber, the Underwear Bomber, the Times Square Bomber and the Toner Cartridge Bomb Plot, according to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

“TSA's operations are outmoded—the primary threat is no longer hijacking, but explosives designed to take down an aircraft,” the report said.

“The U.S. has avoided another successful terrorist attack primarily through the actions of passengers and crew, foreign intelligence agencies, and Customs and Border Protection, along with good luck,” the report says.

“Today, TSA suffers from bureaucratic morass and mismanagement. The agency needs to properly refocus its resources on assessing threats and intelligence, instituting appropriate regulations, and auditing and adjusting security performance. TSA cannot do this effectively as a massive human resources agency,” the report said.

Rep. John Mica (R.-Fla.), chairman of the committee that authored the report and one of the agency’s chief critics in Congress, actually led the fight to create the TSA. The agency is responsible for screening airline passengers at airport security points, as well as analyzing intelligence and setting security standards. However, Mica says the agency is a failure.

“Unfortunately, TSA has lost its way,” Mica said Wednesday in releasing the report.

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