JESSICA MEYERS
Politico ^[1]
Sept 11, 2012

In the flinching aftermath of Sept. 11, Congress created the Transportation Security Administration to restore confidence in air travel. More than a decade later, lawmakers say the agency instead has destroyed it.

“Despite the reality that we have not endured another successful terrorist attack since 2001, TSA is failing to meet taxpayers’ expectations,” a report released Monday by the House Subcommittee on Transportation Security read. “Its operations are in many cases costly, counterintuitive, and poorly executed.”

Timed for the 11th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, the subcommittee will hold a Tuesday hearing to broadcast the report and discuss how to streamline the organization. The study, labeled a “majority staff report,” drew from 22 hearings, 15 member briefings and seven site visits. In a year of TSA bashing, this represents one of the most comprehensive assessments yet.

“Since TSA’s creation after the devastating terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, the agency has gone down a troubling path of overspending, limiting private-sector engagement and failing to sufficiently protect passenger privacy,” subcommittee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) said in a statement.

Full article here ^[2]