Wed, Apr 13, 2005
Travel Advocates, Georgia Lawmakers Are Howling!
The TSA has a lot of problems on its hands, but one of the most
pressing is how to cut 2,000 jobs in order to meet a
Congressionally-mandated cap of 45,000. The embattled agency, whose
director has resigned effective in June and whose scope of service
is being drastically cut back by the Bush administration wants to
hand out 400 of those pink slips to screeners at Atlanta's
Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Over my dead body. That's the collective reaction from Georgia's
congressional delegation.
"It's a decision beyond comprehension," said Sen. Johnny Isakson
(R-GA), quoted by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Isakson,
together with Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) wrote a blistering letter
to the TSA opposing any cutbacks whatsoever at Hartsfield. They
believe the cutbacks will not only cause major problems as the
summer travel season approaches, but will have a ripple-effect at
airports nationwide.
Members of the Georgia delegation to
the House of Representatives are also incensed. Rep. Lynn
Westmoreland (R-GA) promised he would "fight any effort that
reduces the number of screeners at Hartsfield-Jackson, slows down
the security process or decreases the safety of passengers flying
out of Atlanta." He, too, was quoted by the
Journal-Constitution.
TSA spokesman Mark Hatfield called the blustering from Capitol
Hill an "overreaction." He told the Atlanta paper that criticism
from Congress pays no heed to "the continuous work TSA has done in
Atlanta and across the country to successfully staff for maximum
security and customer service."
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