Senator Blames Administration For Outdated Security

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, July 24) -- As House members were set to be briefed on the government's investigation of last week's TWA crash, a senator attacked the Clinton Administration for stalled efforts in improving airport security.

"President Clinton has not provided leadership on this issue this year," Sen. Larry Pressler (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, told The Associated Press. "He has almost dropped off the scene."

White House officials met with members of the Transportation Department in January and April to discuss modernizing airport security systems, but Pressler said the Clinton Administration has not followed up on those meetings.

"They alerted the White House to a severe potential problem in airport security," he said. "Nothing was done."

Pressler also accused Transportation Secretary Federico Pena of failing to comply with a 1990 Congressional act requiring officials to develop a plan for upgrading airport security.

Transportation Department spokesman Bill Schulz said the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is testing new bomb-detecting devices at the Atlanta airport, adding that the department is working on a long-term plan.

Because Pressler has refused offers from the FAA to be briefed on their plans, "It's no surprise that Senator Pressler doesn't know what he's talking about," said Schulz.

Separately, Rep. Bud Shuster (R-Pa.), chairman of the House Transportation committee, unveiled proposed legislation for dealing with plane crashes. The bill calls for appointing a family advisory representative to the National Transportation Safety Board, designating an independent agency, such as the Red Cross, to act as a disaster agency, and requiring airlines to hand over passenger manifests to the board or Red Cross within one hour of the plane crash.

Senator Blames Administration For Outdated Security

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