TSA misses deadline for rule on air cargo screening

The Transportation Security Administration has missed a deadline for issuing a new regulation for screening air cargo, prompting a quick rebuke from House Democrats.

The intelligence reform bill signed into law by President Bush last December gave TSA until Aug. 15 to finalize a new rule to improve the screening of cargo that travels in the belly of commercial airplanes.

TSA spokeswoman Deirdre O'Sullivan said the agency plans to publish an final rule within the next few weeks.

"This is a very complex process," she said. "TSA is not going to rush through it. Rather, we are going to do it right the first time."

Democratic members on the House Homeland Security Committee expressed frustration over the missed deadline.

"We recognize that the challenges of developing of an air cargo rule are complex and multifaceted," they wrote in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. "We believe that the implementation of an air cargo rule is essential to securing the air cargo supply chain and creating a layered security system for the over 23 billion pounds of cargo that is carried by air."

The lawmakers asked for a firm date regarding when the final rule will be issued.