GOP Lawmakers Hit TSA Over Sequester Claims; Uniforms Buy

Republicans members on the House Oversight Committee lambasted the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at a hearing Thursday, accusing it of misrepresenting impacts of the sequester and condemning a $50 million uniform purchase made shortly before budget cuts kicked in, according to the Hill.

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In the days leading up to the sequester, the TSA claimed the cuts would cause longer lines at airport security checkpoints because of the inevitability of furloughs to the agency?s screeners.

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GOP lawmakers were quick to point out that, almost two months after the $85 million cut took effect, the agency appeared to have concocted a scenario that did not come to pass.

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?Despite what [Homeland Security] Secretary [Janet] Napolitano said, there are no longer lines, there are no furloughs out there,? said Rep. Jason Chaffetz , R-Utah, chairman of the Oversight Committee?s National Security panel. ?TSA is one place that we can point where services were basically uninterrupted and the effect to the public was minimized.?

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Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight Committee, held nothing back in his indictment of the agency.

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?You?re here today because you have more resources than you could possibly need,? Issa said.

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?Your agency is constantly known as TSA: Thousands Standing Around. And the reason is you endlessly including more and more people doing less and less.?

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Issa voiced disbelief on the subject of the TSA avoiding furloughs, despite the sequester.

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?You?ve made cuts in areas that could potentially endanger America, because you have not been willing to have attrition and right-sizing,? Issa?said.

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?You haven?t encouraged alternatives to federal employees when you could?ve.

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Issa also blasted the TSA over a $50 million TSA uniform contract that was signed in the weeks leading up to sequester.?

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He argued that deal burdened the agency with a big credibility problem.

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?Until people going thru the checkpoints see the efficiency of people with blue uniforms, and I?d like those blue uniforms to be a less expensive the next time you buy them, they?re not going to believe anything you say,? Issa?said.

? 2013 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

Source: http://www.newsmax.com/US/sequester-tsa-gop-condemn/2013/04/19/id/500281

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