searches and loss of privacy. the fact is, these folks are right. and reasonably are fed up. mr. pistol, in my view, the prohibited items list is the place for you to start taking immediate action to make changes. before 9/11, travelers were trained to cooperate with hijackers. history has proven if you cooperated the plane would land safely and they would get their money or prisoners out of jail. we all know 9/11 changed that mentality. as we adapt and evolve to meet the threats of post 9/11 world, so do the terrorists who continue to evolve in their tactics. the problem is, tsa is too far behind the curve to see what's coming next. the truth is, mr. pistol, i believe you are too bogged down in managing an oversized work force to mitigate the next potential threat. that's a chilling reality. and despite our efforts here, your technology procurement process is still a mess. in the case of the tsa's new

credential authentication technology, all signs point to what i believe is another wasteful investment. this subcommittee will hold a separate hearing on that technology in two weeks. we need to make sure our transportation system is as secure as possible at the lowest cost possible, and with the least intrusion to the american taxpayer. with that, i recognize the ranking member of the subcommittee, the gentle lady from texas, ms. jackson lee for her opening statement. >> mr. chairman, thank you very much. and to the members who are present and to the ranking member, and the full committee chairperson of the full committee. mr. pistol, good morning. i thank the chairman for this opportunity, and i welcome administrator pistol and acknowledge that this month marks your two-year anniversary at tsa. might i also congratulate you on a great event you recently had

with your family and wish them well. i thank you for your leadership, and i look forward to continuing to work with you. and i also, mr. chairman, would like to thank you for holding what i hope will be an informative hearing. let me acknowledge, as we all do in this business, that i have before the judiciary committee the attorney general. and so i will be looking to be in this hearing for as long as i can, and if mr. pistol would accept the fact that i may be not in two places at once, but have to be in two places for the responsibilities that i have. but it is important for us to recognize the leadership of mr. pistol and identify opportunities where tsa can do better. i consider this committee one of the hard-working committees. i'd like to say hardest-working. and as well, that there is a collegiality between myself and the chairperson. we look forward to working together on a number of issues. i take issue, however, with the

title of today's hearing, because i do believe that the 40,000-plus numbers of tso officers are, in fact, the majority committed to the service of this nation. as i have traveled throughout the nation's airports, both small, medium and large, and encountered a number of tsos and spoken to them about their commitment or how long they've been, a large number, of course, rose to the occasion after 9/11 as this agency was being created. many of them are former law enforcement officers. others are former members of the united states military who just could not sit home while their nation was in crisis. that commitment is still present. and i believe what is most important is that we instill that commitment and dedication to service to all of the new recruits. i would ask this committee,

would we consider missteps in the united states military as a cause for privatization, or suggesting that there are too many persons, and that we should indicate it is too cumbersome and difficult? when we think of the vast numbers of men and women of the united states military in places far away, for the most part, members of congress recognize that it is important for them to be present where they are. and so i hope that we can view the transportation security agency as our agency. i have said repeatedly, we need increased professional development, we need the opportunity for promotion and i think, mr. pistol, you have agreed with me on that. and we certainly need to weed out those who are not adhering to the duties that they're mandated to do. and when we find fractures in the system, we need to be able to own up to it, stand up to it, and get rid of it. i hope that is what you're committed to doing. but our transportation security

system is not a call center or a help desk in a department store. i think we would be remiss if we did not recognize tsa's growth and maturity since being established in the aftermath of 9/11. let us ask ourselves, with the elimination of tsa, as proposed by many of my friends on the other side of the aisle, that -- such as the appropriations committee work, would make us more secure. i remind everyone constantly, 9/11 was pre-tsa. i'm thankful that we believe, most of us, that we can move forward and improve this organization. we cannot ignore that tsa expands beyond our checkpoint screening operations and has successfully instituted security programs, such as secure flight, which vets passengers against a no-fly list before boarding a plane. there needs to be greater cooperation, no doubt. there needs to be cooperation on airlines and airports. we need to be looking at the

ingress and egress of airports, where individuals can bypass tsa because of so many entrances and become a security threat. tsa does not walk the airports, per se. they're at the screening sites. risk-based screening, a shift on the passenger screening experience, as tsa evolves and focuses more time on those individuals, it knows the least about. that is important, and the use of intelligence. the transportation security grant program, which requires tsa's expertise on mass transit vulnerabilities and funding priorities across all high-risk state and local jurisdictions. in my own community of houston, this partnership has been vital. these are just some examples of how tsa's established itself beyond just our checkpoint screening. the national goal of ensuring a safe aviation environment can only be achieved through bipartisanship and the legislative branch and the cooperation between the legislative branch and the executive branch. as i conclude, i want to look forward to securing from this hearing today, mr. administrator, and clarifying

some of the points discussed earlier this year by tsa officials. the vetting of workers at airports, privatization of transportation security workers. weeding out the bad apples, such as incidents that occurred the last two weeks. the status of repair station security role and the role and responsibilities for surface inspectors at tsa and whether or not we're working with the industry to ensure such. mr. chairman, i look forward to this hearing. and i am hoping that we will have the opportunity to leave this place with a road map, a containeded road map for the professional service of tsa officers and tsa that are in the front lines, along with federal air marshals, in the front lines of securing the nation's future. mr. chairman, i thank you for your indulgence, and i yield back. >> i thank the gentle lady. the chair now recognizes mr. thompson from mississippi. >> thank you very much, mr. chairman. and i welcome mr. pistol to our committee. and look forward to his

testimony. administrator pistol, let me start by commending you for your decision over a year ago to grant collective bargaining rights to transportation security officers at tsa. as proven by the performance of other federal security officers, collective bargaining does not diminish security. collective bargaining can improve work force morale and productivity, and this will positively impact tsa's ability to fulfill its mission to secure our transportation systems. it is important for all of us not to forget that tsos are the front line defense in aviation security. therefore, we must ensure that these workers are not only properly trained, but are afforded appropriate workplace protections. tsa has come a long way since it was established in 2001. efforts to improve tso's morale would lead to increased capacity

and professionalism in their ranks, and enhance security. as you know, administrator pistol, i've called on you to commit to reaching an agreement on a contract, and renew that call to you today. i'd also like to take this opportunity to note that administrators progress to efforts made to improve screening checkpoint procedures, even though we have yet to pass an authorization bill for tsa in the house during the 112th congress. although tsa facing many operational challenges, it also has made progress on initiatives that are aimed at supporting its mission. however, as the authorizing committee for tsa, it's our duty to produce legislation that ensures proper funding levels, and set forth critical programs in federal law. finally, i would like to point out that tsa has not provided congress a plan for renewals.

as you know, there are some 2.1 million people in it this country with t.w.i.t. cards, and those renewals will be very crucial. we marked up a bill that addressed this in the full committee yesterday. eiden courage you to move forward with a plan that extends the deadline from -- for renewals until dhs has held up its end of the bargain on deploying readers for the cards. i again say, mr. chairman, it was congress's intent that when the t.w.i.t. program was approved, that the readers were just a married of course. but we are some years later -- we're not there. so clearly, we have a problem. and i would not want that

problem to become a burden of the employees who had to pay $132.50 to get their t.w.i.t. card, which at this point is nothing more than a glorified flashcard. with that, mr. chairman, i yield back. >> i thank the gentleman. the other members of the committee are reminded that opening statements may be submitted into the record. today we have a distinguished witness before us, administrator pistol. john pistol has been the administrator of transportation security administration at the department of homeland security since 2010. as tsa administrator, he oversees the management of approximately 60,000 employees. the security operations of more than 450 federalized airports throughout the united states. the federal air marshal service, and the security for highways, railroads, ports, mass transit and systems in pipelines. no small job. the chair now is happy to

recognize administrator pistol for his opening statement for five minutes. >> thank you, chairman rogers, ranking member thompson and distinguished members of the committee. appreciate the opportunity to appear before you today. as we know, tsa's goal is to maximize transportation security and stay ahead of evolving threats, while protecting privacy and facilitating the flow of legitimate trade in commerce. and chairman rogers, i would respectfully disagree with your assessment for reasons that i will outline. i think we have made significant progress over the last two years. but let me start with the context of this hearing that's taking place in. this is my first hearing since the disruption last month of the terrorist plot -- the latest plot against the u.s., which ended up being an intelligence coup for not only the u.s. government, but for security intelligence services. but critical, it shows the determination of terrorists to use unique designs, construct and concealment of nonmetallic

devices, either on a person as a suicide bomber or in cargo to blow up a u.s.-bound airliner. this incident highlights the challenges that the men and women of tsa face every day. to keep safe 1.7 million or so travelers who fly within the u.s. and from the u.s. from the 450 airports. while we stride to provide the most effective security in the most efficient way. and we're taking a number of steps to achieve those goals. that's why we continue moving away from the one-size-fits-all construct that was stood up after 9/11, using intelligence, technology and training to accomplish this critical mission. now, as each of the over 600 million people that we screen each year or of the 6 billion people we have screened since our rollout in may of 2002, completely satisfied with the manner in which we have accomplished our mission, no, obviously not. but the vast majority are. and we've learned where and how we can modify procedures without compromising security, and that's why we're transforming who tsa is and how we accomplish our mission through this

risk-based security initiatives, including modified less intrusive physical screening of world war ii veterans on honor flights, children 12 and under from last fall and now passengers 75 and older, just in the last month. tsa precheck, the trusted traveler program, with 1.5 million people prescreened passengers thus far, including members of congress going quickly through modified checkpoint screening, because we know more about you, about them, based on their voluntary sharing of information with the airlines or global entry. pilots who are, of course, the most trusted persons on the aircraft. and in the future, flight attendants. members of the armed forces who fight for our freedoms. members of the intelligence community, and now we are exploring how we can expand this group of trusted travelers to include many others, based on the risk-based intel-driven premise that the vast majority of travelers are not terrorists and simply want to get from point a. to point b safely. so how are we accomplishing this? in addition to seeking

technology and expanding our canine program, we're focusing on our most valuable resource, our people. last fall i announced two important changes at our headquarters to promote slenls in the workplace to complement the office of professional responsibility which i showed up -- game over from the fbi two years ago. these changes are designed to -- the three expectations i have. hard work, professionalism and integrity and to ensure accountability when we don't meet those expectations. first we created the office of training and work force engagement to centralize leadership and technical training programs. second, we expanded our ombudsman agent offices and efforts to focus on our proactive outreach with the traveling public. so at tsa, we employed work force as diverse as the public we serve. approximately 23% of our employees has served through uniform in prior military experience. attrition was 7.2% in fy-'11, contrary to some these reports we hear out there.

and this is a reduction of over two-thirds over the last five years. recognizing communications is integral to tsa success. we're providing opportunities to build these skills. we're providing a tactical communications or tach-com course to every manager by the end of this year with over 30,000 officers already trained. some key concepts and strategies include active listening, empathy, using voice to communicate clearly and avoiding the tendency to trade negative comment for negative comment. training officials have received strong, positive feedback from many officers who applied this training to their jobs. complementing this additional training are continuing educational opportunities available at community colleges, close to where they work, including schools in alabama, texas, mississippi and other states. since our associates program became fully operational in 2010, approximately 2,800 tsa personnel have enrolled. in april, we started specialized classes at the federal law enforcement training center in glencoe, georgia, designed to

incorporate both leadership and technical skills and expectations for supervisory security officers. we've also established a disability multicultural division within tsa, which is responsible for engaging members of these communities in a proactive fashion. and then last december, of course, we launched tsa care to assist travelers with disabilities, medical conditions, prior to getting to the airport. so in closing, as we stride to foster excellence in the tsa work force, and improve the overall travel experience for all americans through risk-based security initiatives, we continue to carry out our core mission of providing the most effective security in the most efficient way. thank you, chairman, for the opportunity to appear before you today. >> thank you, mr. administrator. and as we go into the questions period, i want to remind the members, we will take as many rounds of questions as you want to have. but i want to adhere to the five-minute rule. i will enforce it on myself and everybody else. i just do want you to know you can ask questions as many times as you want to ask, but we're

going to stay to the five-minute rule. i'll start with my questions first. mr. pistole, you know, i see in my townel hall meetings, and is i was in chicago-o'hare this monday, and i'm just telling you, it's palpable. the american people are just really disgusted and had outraged with the department they see as bloated and inefficient. and you and i talk on a regular basis and you know i've shared with you privately that the department has got a bad image problem. my question to you is, why can't it move more quickly to remedy this? you gave a laundry list of things that are initiatives in place. but it's moving at a snail's pace. why? >> well, thank you, chairman, for recognizing that we're making progress, just not at the pace that the american people would like to see. >> not just like to see. it's unacceptable. >> well, i disagree with that, mr. chairman. respectfully. from the standpoint of if we put something in place too quickly, as we have been so criticized

over the years for, say, rolling out technology before we got it right, or new protocols before we got it right, and if it implicates security in a negative way, then that's -- that's the worst outcome. because if terrorists can exploit vulnerability because of something we rushed to get out that, doesn't serve any of us well. the bottom line, we have to provide the best possible security. the question is, how can we do that in the most professional and efficient way. and that's why i appreciate working with the committee to say these risk-based security initiatives that we are taking are making a difference. i think if you ask any of the 1.5 million people who have been through precheck, including, again, a number of folks here in the room, i think they would say it's a positive -- it's a step in the right direction. and we are working aggressively to try to expand that population base. >> and, again, i acknowledge the list of programs that you just -- recently started are good. but they should have been started earlier, and they need to be moved along at a much more rapid pace. you've also -- had me talk with

you privately about how strongly i feel that the department is bloated with personnel. i'm of the opinion that it could reduce its ranks by 30 to 30% t and still be able to do the job just as effectively if you had control over who the remaining 60%, 70% of the people were. i also believe that if we had that leaner, smaller work force, the public would have greater confidence, because the public is upset when they go in the airport and see all these people standing around doing nothing. and the ones they do interact with seem unprofessional. i feel like if we had a smaller work force, it would be easier for you to get them professionally trained, because it would be a smaller group of people and the savings you'd realize from making from those reductions would pay for the training. you said you would like to see a more professional and efficient work force. we all would. my question so you is, do you agree we could reduce the work force by 30% and still be able to do the job, if you got to pick the people?

>> well, that's a very challenging proposition from a number of standpoints. the fact is, ask the congress in the name of legislation said, go out and stand up this work force in a year's time. tsa hired 50,000 people in a year's time, had them out working within that year's time. huge undertaking -- >> i agree. >> and so the challenge now is, how do we move forward in the second decade of tsa to address those concerns. i would note that most people that come to a town hall are probably not there to compliment something, most people who want to show up for something want to offer constructive criticism or otherwise, so, i -- >> i hear it everywhere. family get togethers, church, i mean, people -- as soon as you mention tsa, people vent their anger. i talked with you about this, not only a problem with the american people being upset. you have an image problem in the congress. you know, half the congress wants to get rid of the department because they think it's useless. we know that's not the case.

you've done some very good things, some very effective programs and truth is, we have to have airport screening. we have to have our port security at our sea ports, our trucking systems, our pipelines. but until we get the department where the american people has confidence in it, you got a big problem. >> i agree, chairman. and appreciate the concern. i believe that these initiatives that we've undertaken that are involving more and more people and as we try to expand it to the less frequent travelers, those every day travelers, we've seen record involvement in global entry, $100 for five years and they are eligible, 15 airports now to go through -- >> those are good programs. i want to get back to my question, because my time is almost up. do you agree you could reduce your work force, now that it's not the first year, you've had a deck kaade that you could reduce 46,000 personnel that you have and still do the job just as effectively if not more

professionally and effectively? >> no, i don't agree with that. that's a huge number. that would take a significant assessment on the one hand, and the question is, how would that in practicality. good to talk about thee rotticly, say yes, but -- >> my time has expired. recognize the ranking member for any questions she may have. >> i want to make the chairman happy, mr. pistole, and a thing i've said to you over and over again, i speak quickly and i'm going to be pointed in my questions. and i just want you to say yes. you've got to tell tsa story, i've said that over and over again. we've got to stop being shy and add to the list of horror stories, which they do exist, as you well know, some of the great examples of actions by tsa agents, tsos, at the gate. helping passengers, being sensitive to the elderly. that has -- that story has to be told. can i ask a simple question?

do you see that as valuable to do and will you be looking forward to twriing and doing more of that, when i say you, your team? >> yes. >> all right. let me move forward. the pappropriations committee hs provided $15 million above the president's request for privatized screening operations. you testified that operating a dual public/private model costs taxpayers more than if the entire system is federalized. do you recommend that $15 million at issue and could it be directed to enhance other security operations? >> well, there's a number of aspects to that, as you know. if there was money available for other security programs, that would obviously be helpful. but the well issue of the pry value tized airports, we are working through that now, in terms of applications and the bottom line is -- >> did you say that the -- that that duel system would cost the

taxpayers more? >> yes, it would. >> all right, thank you. the issue of surface inspectors, the question of the program, surface inspector program, we had testimony here last week that we can do a better job, but if the surface inspector program were to be cut today by $20 million, how would that hinder the mission of the program? >> well, two of the key accomplishments in areas that have provided tangible security results from the surface transportation inspectors has been the reduction in the toxic inhalation hazard from freight rail, including within a mile from where we are sitting right now that over the last several years, because of tsa working with industry, have been able to reduce those toxic hazards, in the freight cars, again, just close by here. that's one area. another area is the base assessment that we have worked with, metropolitan transportation authority,

focusing on the key you ha vulnerabilities -- >> the $20 million would undermine the progress. and would you commit to see as well, engaging with industry to make sure that surface inspectors are trained to the industry or to the rail system that they are looking at? >> yes. yes. >> let's go to the known crew member pilot program. we know the senate and other members have asked for flight attendants to be included in that. in light of the support for inclusion of flight attendants in a known crew member program, will you commit today to use your authority to expand the program accordingly, review it and see how that can be implemented? >> as you know, i have been reviewing that, obviously, we started it with the pilots and we are working through issues with the flight attendants. there's a number of other aspects to that. i commit to doing that. >> we've had a number of cabin security issues. i asked the chairman for a hearing. i look forward to working with him for that. one incident in particular that was unique but involved an airline pilot in the midst.

there were, the fortunately, among the other families, women, there were some ex-nypd officers. but the restraints broke. they were so aged that they broke. and my question to you is, the substantial cut that we face in the appropriations bill, deeming with fams, how would that stress the mission for in-cabin security? >> well, any reduction in that coverage is a potential, and i say potential, because we don't know, but a potential reduction to aviation security -- >> so, $50 million that is now reduced out of the budget, how would that -- >> that reduces aviation security. >> and so, what are you doing to assist with airlines, obviously, you know, because tsa is the first line, about their in-cabin security, ie, equipment, et cetera. >> over the years, we provided training, obviously for pilots, flight attendants, the entire

flight crew and the airlines have, they have taken that in terms of additional training, they provide the restranlts that you talk about, so, we do not regular late the exact type of restranlts they would be required to have on board. it is up to them to -- >> let me -- my time is ending, let me make sure they are doing that. my last point to make, you are looking at how you deal with the elderly and children. is that not right? i think that is crucial that you deal with that issue. >> absolutely. we've instituted for new poll sills 12 and under last fall. new poll sills for 75 and older last month and so, all those individuals would go through an exme dilted physical screening, less intrusive because they are in a lower risk category. >> thank you, chairman. i hope to return. >> thank you. chair now recognizes mr. turner of new york for any questions he may have. >> thank you, mr. chairman. good to see you again, mr. pistole. how are you? some time ago, we talked about training and behavioral

analysis. what do you -- how do you select these people, good deal of judgment and tact is required, an overriding common sense, which we all know is not that common. and are any of the collective bargaining provisions impeding how these people are selected? >> thank you, congressman. so, let me answer the last question first. no, there's been nothing impeding that from a collective bargaining perspective. we go through a selection process, obviously, we look for volunteers of those who have the aptitude and then we do a screening process of them to assess whether they would be a good candidate, based on some of the criteria you mentioned, the common sense and the ability to just engage with somebody in a conversation. the -- we then put them through a training and for those that we have at boston and detroit who