House rejects lifting of cap on screeners

Suzanne Struglinski

Friday, June 18, 2004 | 11:21 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- The House voted this morning to continue to limit the number of Transportation Security Administration employees to 45,000.

With a 180-228 vote, the House rejected an amendment by Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., that would have lifted the cap.

Reps. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., and Jon Porter, R-Nev., voted for the amendment, which would have been included in the Homeland Security spending bill. Porter was one of only four Republicans to vote to pass the DeFazio amendment.

Berkley argued on the House floor that the agency needs the resources.

"Give TSA the ability to hire the screeners it needs to achieve its mission -- keeping the flying public safe," she said. "This is about more than aviation security. This is about national security, and we cannot cut corners or attempt to play politics with something as important as the lives of our pilots and crew members, our passengers and America's airport personnel."

Berkley said that McCarran International Airport has experienced long security lines but it is trying to fix the problem.

Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., voted against the measure.

"TSA is nearly complete with a study on how many screeners are needed," he said. "Lifting the cap at this point -- before the study is completed -- is premature."