“It’s fair to say that once an employee survives an initial background check … which gives them access to the airport … they don’t go back and check criminal history?” asked Rep. John Katko, R-New York, chairman of a House Homeland Security subcommittee, on Tuesday.
“That is correct from my knowledge,” said Gary Perdue, the FBI’s deputy assistant director of counterterrorism.
These security loopholes and others threatening U.S. airports were critiqued at a hearing before the House Subcommittee on Transportation Security, where lawmakers questioned current regulations guiding airport security.
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In 2014, the TSA performed 7,234 hours of random employee screening in Atlanta and 257,979 hours of nationally, but at Tuesday’s hearing, Hatfield said the Atlanta breaches show U.S. airports remain “open” and “porous” to threats.
“We can do better,” he said.
