US Airport Security Fails to Find Majority of Weapons, Explosives - Report
An undercover investigation by the US Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General found that the country’s Transportation Security Administration detectors failed to notice weapons entering airports at an alarming rate: more than half of weapons passed through TSA screeners unnoticed.
A Congressional hearing on Wednesday about homeland security stunned lawmakers.
"We found that briefing disturbing," House Homeland Security Committee Chair Michael McCaul (R-TX) said following the hearing, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Clandestine checkers successfully snuck mock explosives, knives and guns through airport security on more than 70 percent of attempts, CBS News reported.
The TSA is "broken badly," Mike Rogers (R-AL) told the head of the agency.
The TSA said it was upgrading scanners with new technology, while DHS provided eight recommendations for improving security processes. The DHS recommendations are classified.
"We have the technology and resources to do it," Bill Keating (D-MA) said, "but we’re not doing it because … we’re paying for a wall" on the US-Mexico border.
US President Donald Trump sent a letter to Congress on Monday requesting $5.9 billion in new funding for the Pentagon while reiterating a plea for $1.6 billion in new funding for the border wall, Government Executive reports.
The "priority" to keep the US safe is "reflected in both the enclosed DoD budget amendments and border wall request, which provides the downpayment on what the [Customs and Border Protection] needs to secure the southwest border," Trump wrote.
During campaign season, Trump said Mexico would pay for the costs of the wall "100 percent."
- Source : Sputnik
