Posted on 11/16/2001 1:19:03 PM PST by Cacophonous
WASHINGTON – Fearing they might have to work over Thanksgiving, congressional negotiators Thursday reached a "compromise" on airport security that gave proponents of federalization nearly everything they wanted. One senior Democratic aide told CNN the deal was a "huge victory for federalization and a token gesture for privatization."
"For us it's a big victory because you're talking about five airports in the whole country not being federalized," the aide said. "Security companies may not be able to survive on only five airports."
House and Senate negotiators had been arguing over whether to make airport security workers and baggage screeners federal employees.
"I think we have an agreement," Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, told reporters on Capitol Hill after meeting with Senate and House conferees who have been working for weeks to reconcile two bills passed by the chambers.
The House GOP conference met Thursday afternoon to discuss the agreement. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., told reporters on his way in that he expected it to be accepted, even by conservatives who battled to kill the Senate approach.
"It's a victory for both sides" insisted Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss. He called it a "good agreement" that has the support of the White House.
The battle, which had grown increasingly contentious over the past week, raged between the unanimously passed Senate bill to federalize all airport security workers and a plan passed by the House to add federal supervision.
Under the terms of the deal, screeners will be, except in a few cases, federal employees, but some qualified airports might be able to retain private employees if they meet certain conditions. A broader opt-out program would be in place after three years.
The federal employees working at security checkpoints would fall under the Department of Transportation but would not be offered the same civil service protections as other federal employees, according to Rep. John Mica, R-Fla. They would be allowed to unionize but not to strike, he said. All employees would have to be U.S. citizens.
This deal, if it holds up through final floor votes, is much closer to the Senate approach.
House Majority Whip Tom DeLay and Majority Leader Dick Armey, both Republicans from Texas, led the fight against the ultimately successful Senate approach, apparently unable to change the bill substantially.
Republicans said federalization would expand the federal bureaucracy without any increased security benefits. They pointed to the incompetence of such federal agencies as the Immigration and Naturalization Service and FBI, noted that it would be much more difficult to fire government employees for incompetence, and said the Democrats wanted to add to their core of voters by increasing the government workforce.
Democrats and the Senate said that only federal law enforcement officers can protect airports.
Both plans were to be paid for through a flight surcharge and would allow the reinforcement of airplane cockpit doors to protect crews. The Senate version also would allow pilots to carry firearms at work, but it was unknown if that provision survived the conference talks.
Copyright 2001 by United Press International. All rights reserved.
MM
Apparently not.
The terrorists knew what they were doing when they missed their chance to catch congress in session and hit more important targets instead. They left us hamstringed, and open for further terrorism at the hands of our own home-grown nest of congress-snakes.
Airports will now run as efficiently and effectivly as your local DMV.
Enjoy your freaking turkey, you spineless bitch.
Castration would imply that they actually had balls to remove in the first place.
No one seems to realize or refuse to admit that the baggage screeners did absolutely nothing wrong on 9/11. Those box cutters were perfectly legal at the time. Geez...they even had steak knives in first class for crying out loud. The failure was at the INS, CIA, and FBI levels. But everyone needs a target so they rail against the baggage screeners!!
I get so mad just thinking about this. The fact that they bill allows for up to 2 years to federalize everyone should raise a red flag. Even the bozos in Congress know it isn't the screeners fault. What is ocurring here is blatant politics, pure and simple. All symbolism and no substance whatsoever. It stinks.
The GOP is not castrating itself. It's just as much a party of power and big government as the Democrats. When are we going to understand that fact?
The government is only interested in the government.
Good obeservation.
They have already abandoned the principle here, agreeing to a federalized screener work force makes them look weak for not standing up for what they believe, and vindictive for stretching out the time for it to happen. If they were going to agree to it, they should have just gone whole hog and implemented it today.
Stupid party. Put Rich Galen in charge or something.
Add Ron Paul and you have, what, three honorable Congressmen?
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