Airport security won’t be turned over to the government yet

The Bush administration is not yet ready to turn airport security over to the federal government, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta told Congress on Thursday. Testifying before several senators who want Uncle Sam to take over responsibility for security at the nation's airports, Mineta said the Bush administration is still studying the idea, which he said would involve about 28,000 personnel and cost $1.8 billion. "I can't give you that answer right now," Mineta told the Senate Commerce Committee. "But [security] will be intense, it will be a hell of a lot better than it is right now." Mineta has formed a study team on airport security that is due to report by Oct. 1. Besides federalizing security, the panel is also exploring turning security over to a nonprofit group, said Federal Aviation Administrator Jane Garvey. Committee chair Ernest Hollings, D-S.C., and Sen. Max Cleland, D-Ga., were among the senators who urged Mineta to federalize airport security. Cleland argued that current baggage screeners, who are contract employees, lack the training to catch terrorists. "The sad news is our screeners look at going to work at Cinnabon as a promotion," said Cleland. "We can't have that kind of attitude as our first line of defense." Mineta also provided some details of the administration's $8 billion airline relief package, which includes $5 billion in direct aid to airlines distributed roughly by size and $3 billion to help the industry beef up security. Loan guarantees of about $12.5 billion that many members of Congress wanted included were not in the administration's initial offering, although the door has not been completely closed. House Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas, said the House bill would include between $12.5 billion to $15 billion in loan guarantees for the airline industry on Thursday. "The White House hasn't requested it, but we are confident they'll accept it," said Armey, later noting the industry relies on "continuously healthy, functioning lines of credit." Other issues apparently not in the administration's proposal, but of key importance to many members of Congress, include guaranteeing unemployment benefits and retraining funds to the more than 100,000 workers expected to be displaced as a result of the reduced demand for air travel. "[That] ought to be part of the bill that provides immediate relief to the airlines," AFL-CIO Legislative Director Bill Samuel said. Questions about whether the bill should prevent airlines from cutting service to outlying areas are also being discussed, sources said, as well as why an additional $3 billion is needed for additional security measures, given that it is expected to be a large part of the $40 billion emergency package Congress passed last week. It is still not clear what, if any, part of the new airlines package will come from the $40 billion. When questioned about the reopening of Reagan National Airport, Mineta said it was "not in our hands" but up to the National Security Council. April Fulton of CongressDaily contributed to this report.