US lawmakers reached a deal on Thursday to turn airport security over to the government, after weeks of wrangling about how to make flying safer following the Sept. 11 hijack attacks.
They did so just in time to get something into law before the Thanksgiving holidays, traditionally the busiest travel time of the year. Leaders of both chambers endorsed the agreement and predicted its passage in votes expected this week.
PHOTO: REUTERS
"The fact is, the American people know when they start to travel for the holidays, life is going to be safe, and planes are going to be safe," House Speaker Dennis Hastert, an Illinois Republican, declared of the deal struck by a handful of key lawmakers.
Under the accord, within a year the nation's airports would be placed under one security system supervised by the Department of Transportation, with the baggage screeners that are now hired by private companies working for the government.
But after another two years, airports would be able to "opt out" of the system and go back to letting private companies do the baggage screening if they wished.
In the meantime, five pilot projects will also be allowed to demonstrate the public-private partnership in screening that many congressional Republicans wanted -- instead of an expanded federal workforce of screeners favored by many Democrats.
"This is the most comprehensive aviation security transportation measure ever ... This covers 100 percent of the airports and the travelling public," said Florida Republican Representative John Mica, chairman of the House aviation subcommittee.
"I predict it is going to pass overwhelmingly in both houses," said Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott, a Republican.
Congress has been battling for weeks over how to make the nation's aviation system safer in the wake of the Sept. 11 hijacked airliner attacks on Washington and New York.
The deal was reached at a morning meeting of key members of a House-Senate conference committee on aviation security.
The compromise they struck could deal a blow to commercial airport-security companies, the largest being Argenbright Security, a unit of British-based Securicor Group Plc that has more than 6,000 screeners at 42 US airports.
Argenbright in particular has come under heavy criticism by lawmakers for a series of recent security foul-ups. Asked if Argenbright would be able to continue to run airport security under the legislation, Republican Representative Don Young, chairman of the House Transportation Committee, said: "No."
But Mica emphasized that all companies would face new security standards in the one-year transition period -- and possible participation in the public-private partnership projects.
"Argenbright has to work under a whole new set of standards. It's going to be day and night as soon as this bill is signed into law," Mica said.
Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge said the deal was heartening. "I'm very encouraged. We need Congress to take action," he said.
On Oct. 11, the Senate unanimously passed a bill putting the government in charge of airport safety, making baggage screeners government employees.
FIVE-YEAR WINDOW? A defense institute CEO said a timeline for a potential Chinese invasion was based on expected ‘tough measures’ when Xi Jinping seeks a new term Most Taiwanese are willing to defend the nation against a Chinese attack, but the majority believe Beijing is unlikely to invade within the next five years, a poll showed yesterday. The poll carried out last month was commissioned by the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, a Taipei-based think tank, and released ahead of Double Ten National Day today, when President William Lai (賴清德) is to deliver a speech. China maintains a near-daily military presence around Taiwan and has held three rounds of war games in the past two years. CIA Director William Burns last year said that Chinese President Xi Jinping
RISK REMAINS: An official said that with the US presidential elections so close, it is unclear if China would hold war games or keep its reaction to angry words The Ministry of National Defense said it was “on alert” as it detected a Chinese aircraft carrier group to Taiwan’s south yesterday amid concerns in Taiwan about the possibility of a new round of Chinese war games. The ministry said in a statement that a Chinese navy group led by the carrier Liaoning had entered waters near the Bashi Channel, which connects the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean and separates Taiwan from the Philippines. It said the carrier group was expected to enter the Western Pacific. The military is keeping a close watch on developments and “exercising an
REACTION TO LAI: A former US official said William Lai took a step toward stability with his National Day speech and the question was how Beijing would respond US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday warned China against taking any “provocative” action on Taiwan after Beijing’s reaction to President William Lai’s (賴清德) speech on Double Ten National Day on Thursday. Blinken, speaking in Laos after an ASEAN East Asia Summit, called the speech by Lai, in which he vowed to “resist annexation,” a “regular exercise.” “China should not use it in any fashion as a pretext for provocative actions,” Blinken told reporters. “On the contrary, we want to reinforce — and many other countries want to reinforce — the imperative of preserving the status quo, and neither party taking any
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday said that China has “no right to represent Taiwan,” but stressed that the nation was willing to work with Beijing on issues of mutual interest. “The Republic of China has already put down roots in Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu,” Lai said in his first Double Ten National Day address outside the Presidential Office Building in Taipei. “And the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China [PRC] are not subordinate to each other.” “The People’s Republic of China has no right to represent Taiwan,” he said at the event marking the 113th National Day of
RSS