Rep. Michael McCaul: TSA Didn't See This 'Airport Crisis' Coming

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, one day after a congressional hearing concerning issues with the Transportation Security Administration, said he does not think the agency in charge of security at the nation's airports saw its current problems coming.

"We have a crisis at America's airports across the nation," McCaul told Fox News' "America's Newsroom" program. "They didn't prepare for this. When we talk to the airlines and the airport authorities, TSA is not listening to the airlines and the airport authorities about staffing patterns, when to be where, and at what time."

And if something isn't done now, there will be issues such as what happened in Chicago, where American Airlines reported in April that more than 1,000 passengers missed flights at Chicago O'Hare International Airport in one month because of TSA lines.

But TSA "just didn't get it," McCaul said of the agency's staffing problems, but at the same time, the federal authorities are not getting local input from airports or airlines.

"We reprogrammed this money to put 800 more TSA officers in the line of duty, and I just don't think they are listening," said McCaul. "So our oversight is very important. We need to fix it so before we go to Memorial Day weekend and into the travel season. Security is paramount here."

But still, there is no need for long lines at the nation's airports, said McCaul.

There are two Senate bills pending concerning the issues at the airports, but "they are not taking action," said McCaul. One deals with precheck expansion for the program, while the other is about creating better communications with airport authorities about when flights are arriving.

"We have two bills that we passed that would deal with the screening at foreign airports, last point of departure and equipment that could make a difference to the safety of Americans, yet the Senate is sitting on these bills, putting a hold on them, and they are failing to act," said McCaul.

"I'm very frustrated with that."

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