After the Transportation Security Administration went for 17 months without a leader, the US Senate finally confirmed John Pistole as director, raising questions of why the vital organization went “rudderless” for such a long time.
US Rep. John L. Mica, the ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said that Pistole needed to get “the bloated bureaucracy of the rudderless” agency back on track.
The TSA has been without a permanent director since George Bush left office.
"It is difficult enough to get things done in a federal agency when someone is in charge, but it is nearly impossible in a headless bureaucracy of 60,000," Mica said, adding:
"Mr. Pistole will take over a top-heavy TSA, with more than 7,000 supervisors in the field and 3,526 staff at headquarters where the average salary tops US$106,000."
The real story of what happened to earlier TSA appointments can be found through the actions of South Carolina Republican Senator Jim DeMint. Observers say he put a permanent hold on the office because a prior presidential nominee was not opposed to unions.
“Meanwhile, there are calls for Pistole to move expeditiously to address longstanding problems at the TSA,” said wire services.
Recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports highlight just the latest examples of the agency’s failures.
In May, GAO found that TSA completely bungled the development and deployment of a behavior-detection program for the nation’s airports.
GAO’s most recent report outlines TSA’s poor performance in all modes of transportation.
By David Wilkening
