Transportation Security Administration Authorization Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. GRAVES. Mr. Chair, I want to quote the conclusion of the Civil Aviation Threat Assessment released in December 2008 by the Department of Homeland Security. ``While terrorist groups maintain the capability and intent to conduct terrorist attacks against U.S. civil aviation and have shown some interest in conducting attacks using general aviation overseas, there is little evidence to suggest that terrorists are turning their attention specifically to the general aviation sector in the homeland.''

Mr. Chairman, to the best of my knowledge, to date there has not been a single terrorist attack on U.S. soil using general aviation aircraft. As a pilot more than 20 years myself, I know firsthand how general aviation security operates. The bottom line is that it works.

My remarks before Congress today are not meant to downplay the importance of the TSA. As we all know, the TSA is tasked with ensuring the safety of the traveling public. It is an extremely important and difficult task and one that we all take very seriously.

However, recently the TSA has been focusing their resources, efforts, and taxpayer dollars on further regulating the general aviation industry, which the agency itself concludes there is little evidence to suggest a threat.

Mr. Chairman, the amendment offered by Mr. Mica, co-offered by myself, Mr. Petri, and Mr. Ehlers, is simple. It does not prohibit the TSA from issuing security directives if and when a threat exists. It simply requires them to go through the normal rulemaking process if a security directive is in place for more than 180 days.

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