Lawmakers call for more TSA agents to monitor ground transportation

Several members of Congress want American travelers forced to interact with Transportation Security Administration agents while traveling on the nation’s rails, waters and highways.

According to reports, only about 2 percent of the TSA’s current $7.4 billion budget is spent having the federal agents monitor ground and water transportation.

But Republican Sen. John Thune just introduced legislation that would change that by allocating more taxpayer money to post TSA agents at bus stops and trains stations throughout the nation.

Thune cited a recent uptick in terror activity in addition to current “deficiencies” in the TSA’s ability to protect American travelers not using airlines as the impetus for the bill.

The lawmaker’s office said in a statement: “The legislation is intended to address concerns, underscored by recent attacks on transit stations in Western Europe and New Jersey, that TSA is not adequately positioned to identify security risks across different modes of transportation, serve as a source of intelligence, or as a training and best practices resource for federal, state, local and private transportation security. TSA has previously said in testimony to Congress that it uses only three percent of its budget on surface transportation security.”

While the bill doesn’t appear to be aimed at adding airport-style security at American  bus stops and train stations, it would increase the likelihood that travelers could encounter TSA agents far away from the nearest airport.

The bill would initially allow TSA to add 70 new canine teams to screen passengers using ground transportation, increasing that number to 200 “above the number currently in place’ following a review.

Sens. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.0 cosponsored the Thune bill. 

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