TSA Chief: Checking All Air Cargo Unwise

U.S. Transportation Security Administration chief Kip Hawley has denounced a congressional plan to require all cargo on passenger aircraft to be screened.

Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., sponsored a bill the House passed Jan. 9 that would require screening every piece of an estimated 6 billion tons of cargo shipped on U.S. airlines annually.

Hawley told the Senate aviation subcommittee said if passed into law, the move would make aircraft more vulnerable to terrorist attack while also hindering commerce, USA Today reported Thursday.

If you spend all your resources opening boxes and not applying your resources more generally, that opens up another vulnerability, Hawley testified. The adaptive terrorist will go there.

Only a small percentage of cargo is currently checked for bombs on a random basis by machines and dogs, and Hawley said screeners should be focusing more on monitoring airport employees, inspecting passenger travel documents and looking for suspicious travelers.

The Senate subcommittee is preparing its own screening bill that is likely to be less far-reaching on cargo than the House bill, the report said.