With news of bombings and airplane hijackings making headlines in recent weeks, the U.S. Senate has finally addressed the possibility of such incidents happening in the U.S. and reached a deal that bolsters travel security at airports.
The deal, reached between Senate Republicans and Democrats, comes in the aftermath of the deadly bombings at the Brussels airport and subway on March 22, which left 35 people dead and injured 300 others.
Under the agreement, according to a source familiar with the matter, lawmakers have agreed to amend a Federal Aviation bill with provisions that would boost the screening of airport employees with access to secure areas, as well as allow the Transportation Security Administration to donate equipment to foreign airports who have flights coming directly to the U.S.
The reasoning for this is simple. As TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger notes, it would be easy for someone with easy access to a U.S. airport to stage an attack similar to what has made headlines recently. For example, an investigation into the explosion that forced a Dallo Airlines flight to make an emergency landing at an airport in Mogadishu in February revealed that the bomb used by the man responsible had been given to him by workers at the airport before taking off.
The second part would order a new U.S.assessment of foreign cargo security programs, said the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The meaning behind this is somewhat vague, but the order would most likely allow airport security to have an improved ability to check cargo before flights.
If this assumption is true, then that would reduces the chances of incidents like the one in October when ISIS managed to sneak a bomb onboard a Russian Metrojet, which blew up over Egypt, of occurring.
Negotiations over the deal aren't finished quite yet, however. Brokered by Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, Republican chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, and the panel's top Democrat, Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida, lawmakers and their aides are still working to see which other security items could be added, such as federal grant money for training state and local law enforcement to respond to emergencies involving armed attacks.
In the meantime, the Senate is also expected to vote on the FAA authorization bill, which would renew the aviation agency's programs through September 2017.
The Senate isn't the only government body working to improve airport security. The House of Representatives has been considering a FAA legislation of its own. It's more of the same, but it also calls for the privatization of the U.S. air traffic control system - something that isn't mentioned in the Senate's legislation.
