for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion." in recent years we have seen anything but a respect for human rights in russia. prime minister putin stated during a recent . . former demonstrators in russia assembling without prior permission will be hit on the head with batons. it that's all there is to it. end of quote. the actions of the russian government speak hrourdz than words. we have -- louder than words. we have seen protests canceled, activists denied and abused. yet, we've seen little effort by this administration to engage in a sustained dialogue with moscow on its human rights record and commitments under the helsinki declaration. we did more about human rights

violations 20 years ago in russia than we're doing today. it's like we have tape over our mouth. as david cramer of the german marshal fund of the united states notes in a "washington post" opinion on september 20 -- here's what he said -- "the human rights situation in russia is bad and likely to get more worse. march 2012 presidential election nears. those in power will do anything to stay in power. enough already with u.s. expressions of regret about the deteriorating situation inside russia. it's time to call it like it is. condemn what's happening there and consider consequences for continued human rights abuses. end of quote. i believe the obama administration's inaction and reluctance to confront russia on its human rights record sends a dangerous signal to moscow that

there are little or no consequences for bad behavior. at a minimum, such coddling of bad behavior by the west only serves tow embolden moscow -- serves to embolden moscow to their resolve to hold russia accountable on international obligations. i want to read that again. at a minimum, such coddling of bad behavior by the west only serves to embolden moscow as to our resolve to hold russia to account on its international obligations. mr. president, i have fought all my life to secure freedom for my brothers and sisters in central and eastern europe and the former yugoslavia. once they received that freedom, i championed and continue to

champion their membership in nato and the e.u., working with senator shaheen right now and the former yugoslavia to see how many of those countries we can get into the european union and how many we can get into the nato alliance. mr. president, i'll be darned at this stage in my life to do anything that would jeopardize their security and economic prosperity. i've seen too many opportunities for the region to slip away during my lifetime. i will not let it happen again. i will not let it happen again. political expediency should never be an excuse to rush to judgment on public policy, let alone our national security. treaties supersede all laws and acts of congress. the senate's advise and consent

are among our most solemn constitutional duties. i cannot in good conscience determine my support for this treaty until the administration assures me that our reset policy with russia is a policy that enhances, rather than diminishes, the national security of our friends and allies throughout europe. moreover, mr. president, i must receive the strongest assurances that this policy does not once again amount to the united states leaving our brothers and sisters in the former captive nations alone against undue pressures from russia. one of the things i want to do, mr. president, i want to go when i finally cash out - i want to know that these countries that we forth at the end of the second world war were millions

of people were sent to the gulag, that that never happens again. i think that this president has an obligation to look at this treaty beyond just the operational side. it is an obles to look at it as vietnaming our relationship with russia and we ought to get some things cleared up before we go ahead and sign this treaty. >> coming up on c sparnings democrats elect their leaders for next congress. the bipartisan policy center for balancing the national budget. >> join author sebastian junger at book tv -- as book tv heads

to the miami book fair international. join in your with your calls, emails and tweets. live all weekend on c-span 2's book tv. >> today, house members elected their leaders for the 112th congress which convenes in january. the republicans chose john boehner as their next speaker. eric cantor, majority leader. kevin mccarthy as majority whip. the democrats elected nancy pelosi as minority leader. minority whip, steny hoyer. john larson as democratic caucus chairman. nancy pelosi defeated blue dog heath schuler. she talked to reporters after the vote.

>> i'm proud to announce that we have just come from our democratic caucus, our organizational caucus and have elected the leadership of the 112th congress. i want to recognize nancy pelosi, steny hoyer,. most importantly this extraordinary caucus of ours has come together on behalf of the american people whose members, several of whom, we met with yesterday, who won't be returning to this caucus, were so uplifting in their encouragement, in our pursuit on behalf of the economy and

fighting on behalf of the american people that it is what brings us together and unifies us behind our great leader, nancy pelosi. nancy? >> thank you very much, mr. chairman. i wish all of america could have seen our -- today. and yesterday, as you mentioned, mr. chairman, to hear the commitment that they have fighting for the middle class, the saving social security, honoring our me and women in uniform and building a future worthy of their sacrifice for our great country. we will speak briefly each of us. i'm proud to be a part of this team. our consensus is as we go out there listening to american people, it is about jobs, reducing the deficit and fighting for middle class. i look forward to doing that for this great leadership team. i want to make one special mention. because we have a new position for chris van holland who has been nominated -- chosen to be the ranking member on the budget

committee. the many expect to be a statement of our national values. i know that chris van holland will make that fight based on values and reducing deficit and fighting for the middle class. i want to congratulate him on his new position. >> steny hoyer. >> thank you very much. that was difficult election to stay least. the american public reflected their anxiety. and their desire that the congress of the united states focus on creating jobs. we're committed to that objective. i talked about it. the speaker talked about it and others talked about the jent zwroned make it in america. we want to make sure that americans understand that they

and their children can make it in america but also that we can make it in america, manufacturing and growing in america so that we grow good jobs for our people. we will will b ever vigilant to keep the republicans -- through their rhetoric on fiscal balance and jobs. that is what the american people have asked us to do. that's what we think we have been doing, which is why we created a million jobs this year alone in the private sector. we will continue the work and focus on the agenda that we have listened to the american people and we're going to respond to their needs, the needs of their

families and children. thank you very much. next i'm pleased to yield to my dear friend, whom i have known for 45 years, who i have worked with for much of that period of time on behalf of making america that all of us can be proud of. jim cly burn of south korea. the assistant to the -- assistant leader. >> thank you very much, steny. thank you so much for your friendship and leadership. madam speaker. she is still peerk. -- speaker. thank you so much for what you have done.

u.n. you know, the last few days, our focus has been very introspective. i've enjoyed sitting down yesterday for about five or six hours, listening to our members, listening to those who will not be with us next time. today. went through a process that i think will lay a foundation for us to be prospective as we go forward. i am looking forward to working with this team and as i said, earlier, in my remarks, we have been at these crossroads before. we know what it takes to get us back to where we need to be on behalf of the american people and we're going to do it with

enthusiasm and i'm looking forward to what lies ahead. thank you so much. with that, i yield to our vice chair. >> thank you, mr. clyburn. as i learned a long time ago from a friend in elected office. then was then. now is now. we have a job in front of us. we know it. and we're ready to get back to work and to continue to build on the successes of over 150,000 jobs created last month. more than a million created in the last 10 months on the building on the fact that we just got word that 14% more small businesses are offering health insurance to their employees as a result of the health care bill that we passed. we are ready to go to work because we know jobs for us is

jobs for americans. i will tell you that as we look out at the landscape, working with this president, he knows this very well and i think it sounds even better in spanish when people can ask can we do it, we simply say -- now i pass to our ranking member of the budget committee >> thank you,ier. first yft to thank the members of the democratic caucus for electing me to be the ranking member of the budget committee in the next congress. i think we all know that is going to be a central front in the great national debate we will have about the best way to kick our economy into higher geerks to make sure that we put more americans back to work and for the first time now, our republican colleagues are going to share in the responsibility for trying get the economy back on its feet, as my colleagues have said. we have made substantial

progress over the last 20 months so we all acknowledge that people are still hurting and we have a long way to go. and where we can find common ground in doing that and i hope we can find common ground, we will work together and where we have differences, we will make our differences known. it is important that the whole nation engage in this debate over our values and priorities as we speak to get the economy in full gear and make sure that we put this country on a path of fiscal responsibility and fiscal discipline. so i'm looking forward to that great debate. i thank speaker and our leadership team and i thank the members of our caucus for supporting me as we take on these responsibilities. >> can you tell us what -- americans may look at this and say it is the same leadership now as it was before november 2.

what do you say to those voters? >> the message that we received from the american people is that they want jobs. 9.45% unemployment is a very tough screen to get through with any other message. what we want to say to the american people is what mr. hoyer was saying. we want them to make it in america. to manufacture in our country so that their families can make it in america. this is an experience, diverse leadership team that is very strong, a team that took us to victory in 2005 and 2006 and will take us to victory again. in the meantime, i say to the american people, we extend the hand of friendship to the republicans and look forward to hearing their ideas on job creation and deficit reduction. i harken back to president with my views. j.f.k. inspired me who said we must not seek a republican way or a democratic way but let's find right way to go forward as

we take our own responsibility for the future. now i have the privilege of serving under another young, inspiring president of the united states and i want the american people to know that we will all strive to work together in a bipartisan way to create jobs and reduce the deficit and i'm very, very proud of our leadership team and proud of all the -- serve as assistant leader. an icon in our country in terms of working for the middle class and new change, mr. van hollen as the ranking member of the budget committee. i say then, how sad we are to lose mr. sprat, a very distinguished member of congress who always put forth a budget that was a statement of our national values, what was important to our country, was reflected there. that's what i would say. >> 15 house democrats lost --

why tru best person to lead democrats? >> let me put that in perspective. how would your ratings be if $75 million was spent against you because an effective leader and because we got the job done on health care and wall street reform and consumer protection, the list goes on. because they know i'm the person that can attract the resource to take us to victory because i have done it before and so, again, you take 9.5% unemployment. spend 2k4rr75 million against one person and i would like to see what your ratings would be. i feel confident. i am so proud of our members and so many of them said they want to keep the door open to running again and to work with this leadership team. >> can i just add one thing? i urge you to speak the

overwhelming number of our membership who elected nancy pelosi to be our leader because i believe as each and every one of them has said that she has led and she has led us to historic heights and many of us believe that we are prepared to take this country to even greater heights and many of us spoke very loud they the person who can do that in the house of representatives is with this democratic caulk us is a woman named nancy pelosi. >> they know her will most importantly, they know her heart. the heart felt feeling of this caucus behind this great leader. thank you very much. >> we have to go to work now. thank you all.

>> nancy pelosi's main challenger also talked to reporters. heath shuler is from north carolina. his bid was defeated in a 150-43 vote by secret ballot. >> hello, everyone. today we obviously had our vote. it came out pretty much as we expected, as i have said before. i wasn't about winning the race but it was about having a voice within our caucus. i want to thank the members that are behind me who that supported me. jim, mike. have done an unbelievable job. and larry, an incredible member from north carolina, i

appreciate so much what you guys have done to support me, but it wasn't about winning or losing this race but about truly making a difference within our caucus to ensure that the moderates are heard within our caucus and that we have a seat at the table. i think that is what most americans would ask, that our caucus move in that direction. we have seen the latest polls that co-v come out and we have to be able to communicate with the american people to win back the election in 2012. we had to be a big part of that. i certainly hope so. to be able to, you know, to get that many votes, that is a lot better than we expected. we probably never expected -- we only have 20-something in blue dogs and to exceed that with 423 is pretty good. >> that was commitment that she has made.

that is a commitment that a lot of the members in the caucus have really come to us and said hey, they have to have a seat at the table and i think that is the only thing that will be best for our caucus and that will be best for the democratic party throughout this country. i don't think it was as much -- it was a message from the standpoint that there are more r than just the blue dogs who have a concern with what is going on and that message has been loud and clear. it is quite obvious. look what time it is. there was a lot of unrest in the room for several hours based on the time for the leadership votes. that failed. it was a substantial 68-8 vote i don't think the extend the leaderships. i think it sends a message in a way that it is constructive. >> do you think --

>> as said, it is going to be a challenge. it dends upon how that challenge is met both with her, the leadership of the democratic party but also the challenges that are going to be made with those member or that have lost or that the possible candidates. it is going to be how they articulate their own personal message within their communities and their districts and to be able to be elected. no. no. >> i'll be voting for heath shuler. >> heath shuler. >> well, i think we have always been in a situation with that the most important thing is not whether we're in the minority or

the majority or whether we're democrats or republicans but it is about what can we do to make sure the american people, the next general -- make sure we have the rights nols place, that means working with both sides in order to make sure is that your that next generation is going to have the same type of advantages that we know today and that we have learned love of this country. we're democrats. that's what is so great about the democrat party. we are a very large camp. that was my message today to be able to have a large camp within the democrat party to be successful as a party and also to be successful as a country. we have to make sure that we include everyone and that we all have a seat at the table. we don't always have the same message coming out of the caucus but the most important thing is

we truly believe in the middle class and make sure we move the country forward. thank you all. >> coming up on c-span, the head of the t.s.a. testifies about now airport security procedures at a senate hearing. the bipartisan policy center announces its plan for balancing the budget. clinton seeking votes needed to ratify an arms treaty with russia. every weekend on c-span 3, experience american history tv. 48 hours of people and events telling the american story. hear historic speeches by national leaders and eyewitness accounts of events that shaped

our nation. visit museums, historical sites and college campuses as top history professors and leading historians delve into america's past. all weekend, every weekend on c-span 3. there are house ethics meets thursday to discuss any sanctions against charles rangel. follow the process and look back at his house career in the u.s. house online at the c-span video library, all free. watch what you want when you want. >> t.s.a. administrator john pistole spoke today about new passenger imamry machines and enhanced patdowns. this is an hour na and a half.

>> this hearing will come to order. as i explained to the distinguished witness, i have to go rescue the health care bill where it is going to be assaulted on all sides so byron dorgan will take over, as he should. so my statement. there have been a steady stream of stories about patdowns, full-body scanners, comments from spouses in all directions. i appreciates people's concerns. i realize some of these

screening procedures appear invasive. our witness and i had a terrific long session at the beginning of this week and we went into a lot of this. the new patdown procedures embody the enormously difficult task, unavoidably difficult task, impossible task of balancing the need to protect the public and the need to maintain their privacy. how do you do that on a patdown? well, one of my first questions, mr. pistole, you're doing a great job, concerns these procedures. and how you came to develop the new security regulations. i do recognize the threat that we face. i used to chair the senate intelligence committee. extremely real and extremely ongoing and is evolving every day and something hasn't happened because the intelligence has been so good

and that won't always be the case, so we have had kind of a lucky run here, but we can't expect that to last. we face a deadly and determined enemy who seeks to do us harm. enemy from without and enemy from within. consider the events of the last year. it should have gone off, didn't go off. federal agencies uncovered a plan to bomb multiple subway stations in washington, d.c. the terrorists' goal to kill as many people as possible. again, good intelligence gathering prevented this from happening. it should have happened. it didn't happen. we were lucky.

good intelligence. authorities recently disrupted a plot to blow up planes over the u.s., using bombs hidden in cargo. again, excellent intelligence stopped this plot which should have worked from moving forward. though we cannot be come placents, therefore. it remains a prime terrorist target. not just air, transportation too. we must continue to bolster our defenses against an enemy who'll not go away and in fact, will increase. and as terrorist methods evolve, therefore so must the t.s.a.. the t.s.a. has massive spobalts and multiple missions. they move a half a billion people through u.s. aviation people every year. screen billion s of pounds of domestic and foreign cargo as best as they can.

protect our ports and our diverse public transportation system, all of this with the prospect of not enough money to do the jobs that they would like to do. i do not doubt the difficulty of their mandate burks the agency must remain somehow well resourced. we're not talking theology. we're talking about protecting the american people. it is a different deal. a lot of democrats didn't like fiesa. they said it invaded privacy too much. maybe a lot of bad things didn't happen because of that. we'll just have to go back and forth on these things. the agency must remain well resourced and they must remain nimble in their response, new and emerging threats. we must take appropriate action to close any security loopholes whige while make making sure the

global transportation system continues to move people faster and faster and in an effective manner. i continue to have concerns about general aviation. we discussed that. general aviation has goten off pretty easy. not a patdown, forget it. they don't even look at me. so clearly the existing system of international cargo security needs a fresh look, which i know t.s.a. has starteded to do. we must also incorporate new technology that will make it harder for terrorists to exploit our transportation system. systems, it is complicated. and as i have already started, i think it is important to say again, the balance between security and privacy, it always faces you. haunts you.

director pistole. it haunts you. it is a delicate one. i believe t.s. sambings committed to achieving this balance to the extent it can. i urge all of us to consider these procedures are in place to protect us from a very real risk. they are not there just for the doing of it. in the coming weeks, i will be working with my colleagues in congress to make sure the t.s.a. has the resources it needs to address key security concerns. that is going to be tough in this atmosphere but on this committee, we have to sort of gather ourselves together and decide this is important. i thank you for being here today very much. i think you're doing a terrific job. you have been at the helm of t.s.a. for only several months now and i know it has been a demanding time for you. so i look forward to hearing your thoughts, which i won't

because i won't be here. i explained that to you so i apologize for that. and so i will vacate the chair, turn to my co-chair, senator hutchison and ask senator dor -- dorgan if he will assume the chair. >> thank you. certainly i will look forward to working with you on the re-authorization of the transportation security agency. mr. spole. the last time you were here, we said this is going to be a tough job. i know you're finding out. and i agree with so much of what the chairman said. your job is just enormous. not only are we looking now at the cargo issue, which this committee has been very active

in trying to assure that cargo, which is in so many of our passenger planes, as well as bringing good into our country, that we need to know what they are. we have been active but we have not been able to address that to our satisfaction. and now with the situation with yemen, it is very clear that once again, we dodged a bullet, if you will, but we have got to have procedures and i hope that we are going to be working with our -- the foreign countries where there are gate ways into america through aviation that we will beef that up. and i know that our committee is going to be very active in that area. secondly, we're going to have to have intelligence gathering to do that, when -- when we are at

risk of so many airplanes coming into our airports with cargo, sometimes cargo only and sometimes in the passenger planes. we have got to have intelligence gathering that should be part of your either cooperation or direct control. of course you're from the f.b.i. so you understand that need. secondly, i mean, you have got to be hearing the outcry about the invasive uses of patdowns now in the airports. there has to be a way that you can figure out how to do what is necessary because you know, we all see people in the airports going through with long skirts and lots of cover-up possibilities and that's what you're trying to address and we understand that. there has got to be a way, however, for a privacy concern to be addressed because it is

legitimate. and i know that you're aware of it but we have got to see some action and i know the secretary as well, i heard her say that is she is concerned about the privacy but i think we have got to do more. the outcry is huge. and i will just end by saying that well, i have two more things on say. one is i've also mentioned before that i'm concerned about our ports, which are also entries into america and our trains. our service transportation. we have got to make sure that we're doing everything we can before the originality of our enemy comes forth rather than always playing catchup which is what we seem to do and it is good that we learn from the past, that we learn from the mistakes and that we learn from the new it rations of the --

however, we have got to start anticipating through intelligence, what they are up to before it happens. the last thing i will mention is that it is my understanding that you haven't made any decision about changing federal law that prohibits screerns from striking. i hope that you, with all that is on your plates, i hope you will not try change what is the law in this country. i think if you did decide to go the other way, that there would be an upheaval in congress and there would be great efforts to prevent it from happening. i don't think that is a fight that we want right now when we should be concentrating on all of these other issues that both the chairman and i have mentioned. so with that, i'm glad you're here. i appreciate you're being here and i think that in the short time you are getting your hands

around this but our job is to have oversight and tell you what we think needs to be a priority and hope to work with you on that. thank you very much. >> senator hutchison. thank you very much. we have only one witness, mr. pistole. i would like to call on colleagues for two minutes or so for opening statements and then they will they are a testimony of mr. pistole. the history of all of this goes back to hijacking and the determination of metal detectivors to keep guns out of airplanes. then we saw the growth of the terrorist threat creating a snue the form of a bomb or arming a shoe as a bomb and fastening

liquids that could be -- fashioning liquids that could be used as a bomb in the air or disguised in underwear carrying a bomb and now more serious things in the freight system on airplanes. so we have evolved in a series of threats trying to make sure that we have safety in the skies. i have a series of questions about the freight side and general aviation and the work to make certain that those who work at airports are properly screened. i think the most recent issue of full body imaging and law enforcement-style pat dourns with intimate touching or what is described as intimate touching, i think those are very legit discussions. they were just initiated in october itself has only been a

month. not surprising to me that there would be a lot of concern and anger and protests by others about this. i think it is important for us to have a pretty full discussion about what does this mean. i would ask the question and i will, mr. pistole have you had that kind of patdown that many americans are protesting and what is the impression of all of that? we must make sure that people don't get on airplanes with bombs and blow that plane out of the sky and kill a bunch of people. i understand all of that. the question is how do we do that in a way that doesn't go to the nth degree to invade people's privacy and do things that most people would find unacceptable as they try to get on a plane and get through an airport's process. these are important issues and we appreciate you being here to be able to discuss them today. your job is a tough one. you and your agency must succeed. we insist that you succeed and

want to do everything to suck sed and enshower that we do everything we can to help you succeed. let me call on my colleagues if it is appropriate for them. >> thanks, mr. chairman . mr. pistole, congratulations. to you and your team for the good work done with the cargo -- coming from yemen. and although these packages were addressed to chicago's synagogues, investigators now believe the bombs were meant to blow up mid flight over the east coast. but the vulnerabilities in our system remain. just 65% of cargo on international passenger flights bound for the u.s. is screened, well short of the 100% screening mandate for cargo on passenger

aircraft. right now there is cargo manifest information from cargo who are on the aircraft just four hours before arrival. that means we may not learn about a bomb until it is well within our borders. and robert bonner, former administer at u.s. customs said it makes stones have the cargo information predeparture so you cannot only deny entry on arrival but can potentially deny access to the airplane. so while we want to strengthen aviation security in the united states, my colleagues have talked about the humiliation of these patdowns, we have to talk about that. there are clearly areas that we can identify. so we think only of aviation security. but we were reminded last month when the f.b.i. arrested a man who was -- in northern virginia and one of the most important

transit facilities is the d.c. metro system carrying a million passengers a day and we can't make any mistakes. passenger and rail transit systems are prime targets for terrorists throughout the world as we have seen in londs, madrid, mumbai and russia. we can't afford to be anything less than vigilant about it and once again, mr. pistole, congratulations congratulations on a job well done. >> mr. chairman, i'm going to submit my comments in writing so hopefully we can expedite the opportunity to get to the witness. thank you for the opportunity, though. >> thank you. i also won't make an opening

statement but i would like to make a request of chairman rocker and ranking member hutchison. i think at some point in time in the near future we should have the administrator and the committee in a classified setting to understand the physician that has led up to the changes in the procedures at the airports. i would like to make that request. >> that request is noted. i might note this committee has a closed hearing in which secret material was presented to us about trngs security. senator klobuchar? >> why some of these procedures were implemented. some things that we are not going to be able to talk about in public for security reasons. i appreciate that. i want to first again thank you for the role that t.s.a. played in securing our nation, certainly the recent incidents

with the bombs being sent to synagogues illustrated the importance of this screening and i'm eager to work with my colleagues. i know we're just going on now and i know that secretary napolitano changes have been made in terms of countries that can no longer send in this cargo, which i appreciate but also i support stronger screening in the future and look forward to working on these issues. i want to say a few words about passenger screening at my own risk given the calls coming into our office. i appreciate the steps forward that you have made. i have been a fan of the advanced imaging technology. one, i think it is going to show things that we didn't know about before that is very important and it is a dernt to some of these activities and secondly as someone who has had a hip replacement, i have been patted down on every flight i have taken. i welcome this technology where

you don't have to have a patdown. i hope you will discuss the rollout of that advanced imaging technology so that people have a choice in airports. i know they have them in ours, if they want to go to the line with the advanced imaging technology, tchoke that. we have some talk about what's happening so they are not caught off guard when they are at the airport and the fact that they are also always offered a private screening. clearly people are going to feel uncomfortable with this, but i think they have to understand that this is being done for their best interests and their safety given some of the terrorist activities that we're seeing across the country, so i want to thank you for your work. >> thanks. >> t.s. sambings always in a dammed you do and dammed if your don't mode. i certainly appreciate that the american public demands safety and security on a commercial airplane and there is a price we

pay for that and that is sometimes an uncomfortable price for the american flying public. i have gone on and other committees in this committee other committees about the ridiculous notion that i couldn't take my mascara in an airplane. i understand this is much more serious to many more americans in terms of oob truciveness. i had had my love pats every single flight i have taken which is at least twice a week because i have a knee replacement. so i am wildly excited about the notion that i can walk through a machine instead of getting my dose of love pats. so i think we have got to work on this and make is that your the traveling public has choices. make sure that they understand the risks that we're trying to address and then i think we can -- the majority of americans i think -- i hope will become spoifer of the measures that t.s.a. is trying to do to keep

us safe. i want to take the remaining time in my opening statement to congratulate the department of homeland security. we have a tendency to focus on the failure s of government and there have been some real successes. i think the way the hnhn virus was handled, i think -- h 1 n 1 virus was handled, i think a good job was done there and i think between homeland security and our intelligence community, we should all be thanking the public servants that protected us from another explosion in mid-air in terms of the incident at yemen and the intelligence community is -- are the unsung heros in this country and this administration has made a huge commitment to the intelligence community and continuing to make sure that we have the right kind of intelligence and that we have it at the right time. congratulations on continuing to try to keep america safe and

i'll look forward to listening to your testimony today. >> i know what senator mccaskill meant. i'm sure he will deny there was any love patting going on. >> i'm just used to having the pat downes. i was being silly. >> i understand. >> i hope they understood. >> oh, we do. >> you are reasonably now this job and you have hit the ground running. >> as we begin this busy travel

season next week, i would like to take just a moment to address the traveling public and all of those who are focusing on this issue right now to make sure that the core mission of t.s.a., homeland security, really the u.s. government, is to keep the traveling public safe. over the past year, we have seen further attempts by terrorists in subways, cargo and passenger, and as we talk about aviation and being informed by the latest intelligence, we know that terrorists' intent is still there as we have seen manifest. we know their capabilities in term turnovers concealment and design of explosive devices so we're using technology to stay ahead of the threat and keep you safe. we're continuing to employ more imaging technology at airports. it is the best technology today. we're always looking at improved

technology. to try enable us to detect the next generation of nonmet alic explosive device the terrorists are using. it is safe for travelers and our members and the workforce. we have protections in place to ensure that we expect the privacy of travelers. those who want to have private screenings are allowed to do that. the use remains optional for travelers but the requirement of screening is not. we need to ensure from everyone for all the traveling public when they get on that plane, they ever the high confidence that everybody else on that flight has been adequately screened. by the way, everyone on that plane wants to make sure i have been adequately screened or you have.

that's what we come down to this this balance of privacy and securi. we adjusted our patdown policy to simply be using techniques that are performed by the latest intelligence going back to christmas day. the concealment of the petm in ways that challenge our social norms and i would add from extensive covert testing by the inspector general, our own office of inspections, how they get through security and what we need to do to address that and that is what we have done in some parts and again, ask that we be able to -- in a closed setting to zhause in more detail. we have been informed by what airport authorities in other countries are doing. all of you traveled to many

places and have seen and experienced the types of patdown that may be referred to as love pat or whatever else, but the bottom line is that we are consistent with many countries throughout europe and less invasive than some countries around the world as we know. so we ne to have an effective patdown coupled with the best technology to resolve anomalies discovered during screening process. we believe that is best technology today. those who opt out of that technology need to receive that same type of screening. the bottom line is few people in the overall scheme of things will actually receive those patdowns. for example, there is a vocal group out there who experienced this for the first time and rightfully so raised some concerns, what is behind this. the bottom line is we as transportation security officers are trying to work in

partnership with the traveling public to say we want to ensure that you're safe on this flight and work with us to provide the best possible security. that's what it come downs to. one of the things a helps is just people being informed. and to make sure they know what the protocols are. take things out of your pockets. take everything out or that will show up as an anomaly. a lot of people don't know that. that is part of the process that is on me to inform and we're doing that. we have seen some public attempts to disuade travelers from using it and that is understandable but again, the bottom line is there are two flights going to same place at the same time and you the option of getting on one that we know has been thoroughly screened and another flight that there is no screening, you can get on that and go, i think everyone would want to opt for the screened

flight with insurance that that flight is safe and secure. i know flight crews prefer that and know i would prefer that. so we -- the workforce is fully trained in the new technology and procedures. i expect them to act professionally at all times and treat all passengers with dignity and respect. all passengers need to remember they are there to keep you safe and they need your cooperation to do so. security is a shared responsibility. during the holiday travel season, we need at all times the cooperation between the t.s.a. and traveling public is essential. i appreciate the kind words about the timely intelligence and their national cooperation that we, the law enforcement intelligence community use with aviation authorities on the recent cargo plot. i went to yemen five day a.f.c. the plot was discovered to assess what they were doing. swept an team of t.s.a.

screening experts to work with many authorities and i met with the deputy prime minister and said what are you doing and can we work with you, what are your current protocols and what can we do to -- in terms of training techniques and tactics and technology. so we have taken specific steps which i will be glad to get into in response of questions. i go into considerable detail in my written statement. we continue to work with our international partners on the number of issues that with passenger ammingd cargo flights. i want to update you on my review of service transportation priorities because that is a significant issue that we are addressing. we continue to work with service transportation providers, particularly passenger, rail and mass transit to close vulnerability gaps.

we want to target grant funds. critical infrastructure and operational counterterrorism deterrents. we want to increase the number of service inspectors. a program with the new york city police department and the subway. the plot against transit system here in d.c. shows that our enemies are constantly evolving their meds in tools and testing. we are reshaping our approach to security so that everyone recognizes we are one part of the continue yume -- continuum. supporting t.s.a. workforce and

strengthening the partnerships with stake holders and the traveling public. with that, chairman dorgan and ranking member hutchison, i will be glad to take your questions. thank you. >> thank you very much for your test mind your description of what your seath doing. in fact, i would like to ask just a couple of questions. someone this the issue of background screening for workers who work in and around the airport. all of us who travel see a lot of people that are serving in different ways on the airport grounds and i know they are screened for background screening. there is a current process for that screening as i understand which involves in large part the private sector and you are preparing to begin to change that. maybe you can describe to us what you that change might be and how you are proceeding and why it is necessary. my understanding is that the aviation workers said about 1/3

of the cost of port workers screened by the federal government whereas aviation workers are screened with a private sector system that is working. tell me what you're doing here. >> there are several issues here, senator. there are two key issues, in terms of how we harmonize with the u.s. government.

i know of the last questions posed have been answered the bi. air available for analysis. the american people have divisived it in a very device american year. they ask congress to get rid of politics.

they asked us to protect american interests. is this congress that has done the work. they have a constitutional responsibility to deal with this treaty. this congress has done its homework and analyze the treaty. they had irresponsibility to vote. -- they have the response ability to vote. they are asking the senate to do their job predict . and number of senators discussed the outstanding issues. as of now, there is no substitute on this treaty. what separates the ability to move forward to is a question about money tenures in the

future. they have a $80 billion for a modernization and more to meet the requested senator kyl. they have all said that we are committed to the authorization we hope republican leaders can get it from the house as to what is going to go forward. we stand ready to negotiate. we are going to be outed fear on the thanksgiving break. we will work on any day. we have the least two weeks before comes to the senate. i refuse to believe that the doors should not remain open and

that we cannot find the good faith to negotiate other country in order to deal with the funding and to resolve any outstanding question. national security demands nothing less than that effort. we are committing to providing it. i have shared this for 35 years. there is no more powerful voice with respect to proliferation. >> thank you. >> let me summarize this point did you. we are talking about the national security of the united states of america.

it to a foreign and that the treaty must be ratified of this congress. they inform as of what is occurring with regard to nuclear weapons. 13,300. there are thousands still there.

we are deeply concerned about north correa. we are talking about thousands that are still there. they are existential problems. it is inexcusable. i have supported it. i supported of the efforts of the president and to work with others. we are unlikely to have the treaty are modernization unless we get real. i appreciate the secretary sharing so vividly her impressions.

>> are there any questions? >> what a year telling the russians right now? >> what about the outreach efforts with the russians? we have discussed the process i hope that the very strong statement said you just heard send an unmistakable message the week ended didn't -- that we intend to do everything we can to ratify this treaty. toomey it is essential that we bring this before the senate.

it is so important. no one knows more about this then senator lugar. to anyone think that we can postpone it for a vote it, read or avoid it, i think it is under estimating the continual threat that is posed to our country. we hope our friends in the senate will bring this up and i can inform the russians that it is their turn to do the same. >>. we have nothing to do with it. >> i think both senator kerry and senator lugar are experts at dealing with their colleagues.

i had the privilege to serve with them for eight years but did they must believe this must be done in the lame duck. they will do whatever it takes to reach out and have discussions. this is not an issue that can afford to be postponed. once we take that message with the urgency that you heard, we will get the boats. we will pass this treaty. thank you very much. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] >> on c-span, the tsa talks about new procedures. house democrats named nancy pelosi as minority of the to

prevent that is followed by today's "washington journal, we" a look at the airport screening procedures. there are compensation packages. washington journal begins life. >> it is of great gifts. when they get up, they have handcrafted at the moment. cracks in the final volume, they examined the final years of the life including the run for president. >> experience american history

television. here historic speeches. porte testified about air corp screening procedures. he was questioned about new passenger and nt machines. this hearing is an hour and a half.of the

>> this hearing will come to order. >> i have to go rescue the health care bill where it to be assaulted on all sides. in the past 48 hours, there is been a steady stream of stories about airport screening procedures on full body scanners. >> we went into a lot of this.

the new procedures and body the difficult task of balancing the need to protect the public and the means to maintain their privacy. how do you do that on a patdp own? i think you are a great job. i recognize the threat that we face. i am still a member. the threats are extremely real and ongoing. something has not happened because the intelligence has been so good. we have had a lucky run here. we cannot expect that to last.

it is easy to put together a package and stick it in underwear or shoes. you never know. the always have to know. consider the and then spread them he carried a deadly explosive. it should have gone up and it did not. federal agents uncovered a plot to bomb multiple sub playstation. the goal was to kill as many people as possible. good intelligence gathering prevented this from happening. we were lucky. good intelligence. they used bombs hidden in cargo. excellent intelligence, stopped this plot that should have stopped us moving forward.

we cannot be complacent. our transportation system remains a prime target. we must continue to bolster our defenses against determined enemies who will not relent or go away and will increase. as methods of golf, so much the psa. if they have massive responsibilities and missions. they move half a billion people through the aviation system every year. they scream billions of pounds of cargo as best as they can. we are notalking theology or ideology. we are talking about protecting

the american people. it is a different deal. a lot of democrats did not like 5 lisa -- fifsa > face said it invaded privacy too much. we have to go back and forth on these things they must remain in nimble in their response to new and emerging threats. we must take appropriate action to close any loopholes on making sure the system continues to move people faster and in an effective manner. i have concerns about the general aviation.

it has got not pretty easy. i do not like going out to dulles airport and walking on an airplane. they do not even look at me, not a pat down. the existing system needs a fresh look. we must incorporate new technology that will make it harder for terrorists to exploit our transportation system. it is complicated. the balance between security and policy always haunts you. it haunts you. it is a delicate one. i believe csa is committed to achieving this to the best they can. these procedures are in place

to protect us from a very real risk. they are not there just for the doing of it. in the coming weeks i'll be working with my colleagues to make sure that csa had the resources it needs to address concerns. that will be tough. we have to gather ourselves together and decide if it is important. i thank you for being here. i think you are doing a terrific job. you have been at the home for several months now. i know it has been a demanding time. i look forward to hearing your thoughts. i will vacate the chair and turned to my co-chair and ask

him if he will assume the chair. >> thank you. >> thank you. i will look forward to working with you on the reauthorization. of the next time you were here we said it was going to be a tough job p.m.. -- tough job. i know you are finding that out. i agree so much with what he said. your job is enormous. not only are really looking at the cargo issue, which this committee has been very active in trying to usher that cargo -- assure, we have been active.

we have not been able to address that to our satisfaction. now a to is very clear that once again we dodged a bullet. we have to have procedures. i hpoe we will be working with the countries where there are aviation gateways, that we will beef that up. we will be actice. we will have intelligence gathering to do that. when we are at risk of so many airplanes coming into our air force with cargo, we have got to have intelligent gathering that should be part of your cooperation or direct control.

you are from the fbi. you understand that need, you have got to be hearing the outcry about the invasive uses of pat downs in the airports. there has to be a way that you can figure out how to do what is necessary. we all see people going through with long skirts and coverup possibility. that is what you are addressing. we understand that. there has to be a way for a privacy concern to be addressed. it is legitimate. i know you are aware of it. we have to see some action. i have heard the secretary say that she is converned -- concerned about the privacy. the outcry is huge. i will end by saying -- i have

two more things to say. one is, i also mentioned that i am concerned about our report which are also entries into america and our trains. we have got to make sure we are doing everything we can before the originality of our enemy comes for it rather than always playing catch-up. it is good that we learn from the mistakes and they passed in the reiteration. however, we have got to stop anticipating what they are up to before it happens. the last thing i will mention is that it is my understanding that you have not made any

decision about changing the federal law that prohibits screeners from striking. i hope that you will not try to chang what is the law. if you did decide to go the other way, there would be an in congress and great efforts to prevent it from happening. that is not the fight we walk right now. we should be concentrating on these other issues. with that, i am glad you are here.

i appreciate your being here. i think that in your short time your getting your hands around this, our job is to have oversight and tell you what needs to be a priority and hope to work with you on that. thank you very much. >> thank you. we will begin some votes at 11:00. we only have one witness. what i would like to do, i will make a couple of comments and then call on colleagues for opening statements. then we will hear the testimony from a mr. pistole. the history goes back to the hijacking and the determination with metal detectors to keep guns out of airplanes airplanes are being hijacked in cuba and other places. we saw the growth of the terrorist threat creating a shoe in the form of a bomb and t hen fashioning liquids that could be used as a bomb in air and then a bomb disguised as underwear. now various more sophisticated things on the freight system on airplanes.

we have involved with a series of threats trying to respond to make sure we have safety in the skies. i have a series of questions about the freight side. there is work to make certain that those who work at airports are properly screened. the most recent issue of full body imaging and law-enforcement style hat down - pat downs, i think those are a very legitimate questions. the law enforcement stop pat downs were just initiated a nationwide in october. it has only been a month. it is not surprising to me there would be a lot of concern and anger by some of protest by others. it is important for us to have a complete discussion about what

this means. has your staff had backpack down? -- pat down? what is the impression? we must make sure that people do not get on planes with bombs and kill people. i understand that. the question is, how do we do that in a way that is not go to the first predict for this agreed to do things that most people would find unacceptable as they try to get on a plane and get through a process. these are important issues. we appreciate your being here to be able to discuss them with the. we want to do everything we can do to help you succeed. let me, mike all if this is appropriate for them -- let me

call on my colleagues and it is appropriate for them. >> thank you. congratulations go to you and your team for the good work. although these packages were addressed to chicago synagogues, investigators believe the bonds are meant to blow up mid-flight over the east coast. the vulnerabilities in our system remain. 65% of cargo on international passenger flight bound for the u.s. is well short of the 100% screening mandate. right now dhs received a manifest information from aircraft for hours before our arrival. women now learn about a bomb --

we may not learn about a bomb until it is in our orders. customs said it makes sense to make the cargo of information pre-arrival. what we want to strengthen aviation, my colleagues talked about the humiliation that the companies they patdowns, we need to talk about that. there are areas we need to talk about. we think of tsa as only airline security, but there was a railroad incidents in northern virginia. one of the most important facilities is the d.c. metro

system. we cannot make any mistakes. passenger and rail system targets are prime targets for terrorist the route the -- throughout the world. the threat is real. we cannot afford to be anything less than diligent about it. congratulations. >> thank you very much. >> i'm going to some of my comments in writing so hopefully we can expedite the process to get to the witness. >> thank you. >> i also will not make an opening statement. through you, alan like to make a request. although this is an open hearing, i think at some point in time we should have been

administrator and committee in the classified set it to understand the information that has led to the changes and the procedures. >> that request is noted. this committee had a closed hearing in which secret material was presented to us about security. >> i endorse the idea. i think it is important. some things we will not be able to talk about in public. i appreciate that. i want to thank you for the role tsa played. it illustrated the importance of this screening. i am eager to work with my colleagues. i know the secretary has had changes made in terms of countries that can no longer send in cargo. i support stronger screening in the future. we look forward to working on

these issues. i want to say a few words on passenger screening at my own risk. i appreciate the steps forward you have made. i have been a fan of the advanced imaging technology. i think it will show things we did not know about before. it is a deterrent to some of these activities. as someone who has a hip replacement, i have been padded down in front of my constituents on every flight. i welcome this we do not have to have -- where you do not have to have a patdown so people have a choice. we need some education out there.

they are always offered a private screening. it house to be out there. people are going to feel uncomfortable with this. they have to understand that this is being done for their best interests and their safety given some of the terrorist activity that we are seeing. i want to thank you for your work. >> tsa is always in a damned if you do, damned if you do not mode. i appreciate that the american public demands safety on the commercial airplane. there is a price we pay for that. sometimes there is an uncomfortable plight. i have gone in on committees about the ridiculous notion that i can take my mascara on an

airplane and i understand that this is much more serious to many americans in terms of intrusiveness burda i think we can do a better job on public education i have had my -- education. i have been patted down every time because i have a knee replacement. i'm exciteto walk through a machine incident getting my those ofl --- my dose of love pats. we need to make sure they have choices and understand the risks we are trying to address them then i think the majority of americans will become supportive of the measures they are trying to do to keep the state. i want to congratulate the department of homeland security. we have a tendency to focus on

the failures of government. there have been some real successes. i think the way the h1n1 virus was handled, while many americans were frightened for a number of weeks, i think that a good job was done there. i think between homeland security and our intelligence community, we should all be thinking the public servants that protected us from another explosion in mid-air in terms of the incident at yemen. the intelligence community are the unsung heroes in this country. this administration has made a huge commitment to the intelligence community to ensure we have the right kind of intelligence at the right time. congratulations on continuing to keep america safe. i look forward to listen to your testimony.

>> i am sure you want to deny there was any lovep atting going on. >> i knew have patdowns think the -- i enjoy is used to having the -- i am used to having the patdowns tsa. i was being silly. i hope they knew that. >> my understanding is you have a slightly longer opening statement by necessity. this committee understands that. >> i appreciate your diligence. it is an honor to be here. as we begin this busy travel season next week, i would like to take a moment to address the traveling public and all those who are focusing on this issue to make sure that the core mission of tsa, homeland

security, and the government is to keep the traveling public safe. we have seen further attempts by terrorists to attack aviation, subways -- as he talked about aviation and being informed, we know the intent is still there as we have seen manifest. when know their capabilities in terms of the concealment and design. we are using technology and protocols to stay ahead of the threat in keep you safe. i want to be clear that ait is the most advanced and available technology. for us to detect the next generation of nonmetallic devices, it is safe for travelers and crew members. there are a number of studies. we have protections in place to insure we respect the privacy of travelers. those the warm private screenings are allowed to do it. the use remains optional for travelers. very acquirement -- the

requirement is not required. the need to make sure the when they get on the plane that they have the confidence that everyone on that flight has been screened. everyone else on the plane was to make sure that i had been a radically screamed or you have. that is what we come downtown -- down when it comes to privacy. we have adjusted patdown policies to using techniques that are going back to christmas day and what we are seeing with the cargo platte. -- plane.

it challenges our social norms. i would add that i would want to go today how they get their security and what we need to do to address that. that is what we have done. we have also been informed of of what others are doing. it may be referred to as love pats, but the bottom line is that we are consistent with many countries throughout europe on some countries around the world. we need to have an effective patdown to discover it during the screening process.

we believe that is the best technology again today. those who opt out of that technology need to receive the same type of screen. few people in the scheme of things will actually receive those pat downs but if there is a vocal group that has experience it for the right time. the bottom line is that we are trying to work in partnership with the public to say that you are safe on this flight. people need to be informed.

18 they need to know the privacy. nevada people do not know that. -- a lot of people do not know that. we have seen some attempts to persuade travelers from using ait big bear that is understandable. ait did using -- ait. that is understandable. i ask all passengers to remember that our officers are there to keep you safe. security is a shared responsibility.

during the travel season, it is essential. we appreciate the kind words about the international cooperation that the collective we used with authorities on the recent cargo plight. i went to yemen five days after the plot was discovered to assess what they were doing. we sent a team to work with the authorities. we've met. how can we work with you? what are your current process these?

what can we do in terms of capacity building in training techniques? we had taken specific steps. i go into considerable detail on my written statement. i want to briefly update you on my review of the surface transportation. this is a significant issue. we want to close vulnerability gaps with intelligence driven process. and we want to focus on critical deterrence. we want to increase the number of surface inspectors and began a mobile screening program with the new york city police department and subways.

the cargo plucked against the transit system here in d.c. shows that our enemies are possibly using the methods and tools and practice. we are reshaping our approach so everyone recognizes we are one part of the continuum for the united states. they are interconnected. >> thank you for your testimony.

one is the issue of background screening for those working in or around the airport. and by the people are serving in different ways on the airport grounds. you are preparing to begin to change that. the aviation workers pay about 1/3 of the cost. tell me what you are doing here. >> we talked about two key issues. whatever it may be, it exposes

people to risk. in the aviation sector, we do a thorough background checks on anyone that had access to the sterile airport. eckhart those imports, there are different payments. it is something that i am working closely with. we had the most overlapping with the u.s. coast guard on how we provide this. we are not there yet. i hope we can report back some good progress. >> if it is accurate, if it cost 1/3, if you harmonize these circumstances, this probably is not the right approach.

alan like to get an analysis of the effectiveness of the aviation side. my understanding is that it has worked fairly well. the me ask you about patdowns to th -- ask you about the patdowns. you explained why it is necessary for us to have advance screening. had he been subject to the law enforcement style patdowns that was given? >> i insistent that i receive it before by order that it be deployed nationwide. >> your impression?

>> it is spero. >> your impression? >> the whole purpose this -- it is more invasive them what i was used to. what are the plot out there? how are we informed about the latest technology? why do we need to ensure that we are being thorough. it is clearly more invasive. the purpose is to detect the type of devices that we have not seen. i am very sensitive to and concerns about people's privacy concerns. i want to work through that as best we can. we need to provide for the best

possible security. it went from using the back of a hand to a different approach. you might describe that. >> the back of a hand is still used in some aspects. i would prefer not to go into specific detail and an open hearing because i do not want to give a roadmap to anybody and say, here is exactly what the technique is and how we can defeat that. >> the issue of full body imaging. most of us have seen that it is very explicit. you would decree with that. -- you would agree with that.

what kind of protection that you develop so someone who has had a reasonably explicit photographs taken that will not be moved around and that there will be a privacy relationship that they can count on? >> we have instituted a number of the privacy protocols to ensure that they do not happen. for one, the officer who is doing the image -- what i have seen on cementing news reports are not accurate.

>> a total shock to them? >> i do not know where they are getting them. it is a little more. they never see the image. the machines are disabled in terms of retention our ability to transmit the images. cell phones and cameras are not allowed. we have implemented adequate privacy protections. i am interested in the next generation of advanced imaging technology. it has a figure where an anomaly on the body may show up

as a box. patdowns then the -- then the patdown will focus on that area. there are a higher rate of false positives on that area. that results in more patdown. we are trying to stay away from that. >> thank you very much. >> thank you. first of all, i think i'm going to say that i think we should have a classified hearing. we will work with scheduling on that. >> i welcome that. thank you. >> i want to now talk on cargo. is it feasible for all cargo

operations to be screened in the same specificity at the passenger processes? secondly, do we have practical solutions? there are now imaging machines that are used on the border for trucks going across the border. are those technologically feasible to be used for air cargo? is it also an affordable option that would be common sense? >> it is not practical at this time to screen 100% of air cargo worldwide it that is the

question. we do screen 100% of all passenger flight in the u.s.. we screen high risk cargo coming into the u.s. on passenger flights. there is still a lot of cargo out there. there is almost 9 billion pounds of cargo coming into the u.s. every year. the challenge becomes those coming from companies that either the government and/or the cargo companies have a relationship with. the two packages coming out of yemen, an individual goes to a forwarder and then send it to dubai. can we ensure that they had been properly screened? we need to work with the organization that past a security declaration last month. 190 countries signed off. it deals with over 230 airlines.

everyone has the same interest to make sure that their flights are safe and secure. >> are you working on more your personnel being stationed in area where there would be a priority? >> we are.

we have over 100 employees who are deployed around the world. also, on your first question, we do have small, medium, large apertures and defense technologies to the back cargo. it dishes more of a challenge than it is a passengers. the larger it is, the more difficult in is to disarm. we also use explosives technology technology equipment. that is not a consistent standard around the world. let me talk about the collective bargaining issue. if you have a collective

bargaining, it may not be the open strike. where are you in this process? is it something but you are looking at seriously? have you decided that other priorities are more important? >> they are doing an assessment about whether it makes sense predella. this was complicated by decision last friday. our experts are working with other human capital exports. what does that mean?

>> it is it ordering the tsa to have an election? >> it says we should have an election for exclusive bargaining. it does not make a whole lot of

sense. >> thank you very much. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> maritime cargo is into our ports. the cargo it to our country by air only has to be provided for hours to a rival. would it be feasible to ask that a long fair amount be allowed before the cargo get supported

on an airplane? this is challenging them. >> you are going by air because you want a quick arrival. what happens with a 24 hour notice? halley but said that? >> we have. we have worked closely. we find a number of discussions about how we can work with industries to get more advanced notifications without affecting the bottom line for the cargo carriers. they have been very open and

receptive for the king for opportunities. to say it is not get this -- tsa does not get this. what action do we take? if there is a high-risk package coming from a place in the world, what action can we take that family then communicate? can we communicate with them to say we are concerned with it? that is the key. that is the key.