Terrorism and Transportation Security

This meeting of the Homeland Security Committee—Subcommittee on Transportation and Security will come to order. The subcommittee is meeting today to hear testimony from the administrator of the Transportation and Security Administration, Mr. John Pistole, on his agency's efforts to stop terrorists from carrying out attacks against our Nation's transportation systems. Let me first state—first and foremost—that TSA is a counterterrorism agency and it must maintain that mission as its primary focus. If there are programs or offices within the TSA that do not directly support that primary mission or could operate more efficiently this subcommittee will look closely to see where taxpayer dollars could be better spent at TSA to achieve a greater level of security.