Washington, D.C. - Today, Chairman Carlos Gimenez held a Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing on "The Future of FAMS: Evaluating the Federal Air Marshal Mission." The committee heard testimony from John Casaretti, Founder and President of the Air Marshal Association, and Director Tina Won Sherman, Homeland Security and Justice of the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

Watch the full hearing HERE.

 

Read my full opening statement as prepared below:

Today, this Subcommittee is examining the Federal Air Marshal Service and its role in securing the commercial aviation sector in the United States.

Terrorist organizations and rogue nation states have targeted the commercial aviation sector since its inception.

In the 1970’s and 1980’s, terrorists carried out notorious hijackings across the world, including the 1977 hijacking of Lufthansa Flight 181 by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the 1985 hijacking of Trans World Airlines Flight 847 by Hezbollah.

While most prior incidents involved hijackers seizing passengers and crew as hostages and demanding ransom for their release, the nature of the threat shifted dramatically with the Al-Qaeda attacks on September 11th, 2001.

As the nature of the threat evolved, so has the role of federal air marshals.

While the United States government has deployed air marshals on commercial flights since the early 1960’s, today’s Federal Air Marshal Service was formally established in response to the September 11th attacks.

After September 11th, waves of volunteers stepped forward from other law enforcement agencies and from all walks of life to sign up for the air marshal mission, and the organization became part of the newly established Transportation Security Administration.

Twenty-three years after the September 11th attacks, the threat to the commercial aviation sector continues to evolve.

Fortunately, our capabilities to counter terrorist threats against commercial aviation have also advanced.

Diligent vetting of potential terrorists in between when an airline ticket is purchased and the day of the flight gives law enforcement more time to foil terrorist plots before they can be carried out.

TSA is continuing to improve its screening equipment, and my colleagues and I on this Subcommittee continue to advocate for the agency to speed up its deployment of new technology to ensure airports have modern, capable systems at their security checkpoints.

TSA also offers trainings like the Federal Flight Deck Officer Program to airline flight crews to respond to in-flight threats.

It is critical that we are proactive in staying ahead of the threat and continually look for opportunities to sharpen our capabilities and enhance our technologies.

In this context, I believe it is essential to reevaluate the role of federal air marshals in aviation security.

I am concerned that air marshals are not being utilized effectively.

It was recently reported that former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard was monitored by federal air marshals during commercial flights because her name appeared on TSA's Quiet Skies program.

The Quiet Skies program aims to prevent terrorist attacks, not unduly surveil law-abiding citizens traveling on commercial flights.

Additionally, I am concerned about the deployments of federal air marshals to the Southwest Border.

While TSA has assured the Committee that these deployments did not impact normal FAMS operations, it is troubling to me that the border crisis has escalated to the point of needing additional personnel surged to the border – it is long past time for the Biden-Harris Administration to get this crisis under control. 

Two weeks ago, we commemorated the 23rd anniversary of the September 11th attacks.

In wake of this somber occasion, it is important that this Subcommittee continues to work proactively to secure the commercial aviation sector and prevent an attack like that from ever happening again.

This Subcommittee must utilize its oversight authority over the Federal Air Marshal Service to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being used efficiently and effectively in the mission to deter terrorists and other criminals from targeting the commercial aviation sector.

We must ensure that the Federal Air Marshal Service faithfully and effectively fulfills its mission to safeguard the passenger aviation sector.

Thank you to our witnesses, Ms. Won Sherman and Mr. Casaretti, for appearing before the Subcommittee.

I look forward to your testimony. 

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Congressman Carlos Giménez represents Miami-Dade County and the beautiful Florida Keys. He is the only Cuban-born Member of the 118th Congress, having fled his homeland shortly after the Communist takeover of the island. He is the first career firefighter paramedic elected to the House of Representatives and served as the former Fire Chief of the City of Miami and Mayor of Miami-Dade County. He serves as the Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security, the Armed Services Committee, and the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.