Nevada lawmakers plead with TSA not to cut McCarran jobs

Benjamin Grove

Wednesday, May 14, 2003 | 11:41 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Three Nevada lawmakers today urged Transportation Security Adminstrator James M. Loy not to cut any federal screeners at McCarran International Airport.

Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., organized the private meeting with Loy, in which she and Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., and Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., made their case for not cutting jobs at the airport.

"We left no doubt in his mind as to where the delegation is coming from," Berkley said.

Berkley said she asked for 100 more baggage screeners for McCarran in addition to urging Loy not to make cuts in gate screeners.

Loy, who was not available for comment, made no promises at the meeting. Porter said Loy indicated that he will make decisions about McCarran and other airports within 2 1/2 weeks.

"He assured us that they were going through this process logically and methodically," Porter said.

The TSA recently announced that budget shortfalls were forcing it to cut 3,000 positions nationwide by May 31 and another 3,000 by Sept. 30. The cuts will save an estimated $280 million. The total work force is about 55,000.

The proposed cuts included 149 fo the 914 positions at McCarran, local air officials have said. Nevada's congressional delegation promptly sent Loy a letter urging him not to make cuts at the busy airport. They explained how important tourists who fly in and out of the airport every day are to the state's economy.

"We want to make sure that we continue to move people efficiently through the lines," Porter said after the meeting.

Also today, Berkley and Porter pushed an amendment in the House Transportation subcommittee on aviation issues that directs the TSA to send a report to Congress on the methods used to determine job cuts. The panel approved the amendment and sent it to the full committee.

Berkley is considering legislation that would freeze TSA job cuts, pending Loy's final decisions.