TSA Equipment Worth $184 Million Warehoused, House Panel Says

WASHINGTON -- Thousands of pieces of security equipment that cost taxpayers an estimated $184 million and were supposed to be installed at airport checkpoints to screen passengers are collecting dust in government warehouses, a joint congressional panel reported Wednesday.

"Airport Insecurity: TSA’s Failure to Cost-Effectively Procure, Deploy and Warehouse its Screening Technologies" details how 85 percent of about 5,700 security units is warehoused at a Transportation Security Administration facility in Dallas. Annual storage costs at the Transportation Logistics Center, the report noted, top $3.5 million annually.

The investigative report was produced by the Republican staff of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, chaired By Rep. Darrell Issa of California, and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, headed by Rep. John Mica of Florida.

“TSA continues to demonstrate its penchant for bungling aviation security and wasting taxpayers’ money," Mica said at a hearing on the report Wednesday. "The CIA uncovered terrorists’ latest modified underwear bomb plot, but TSA has repeatedly failed to effectively procure and deploy screening equipment that actually detects threats, and incredible amounts of its state-of-the-art technology is gathering dust in Texas warehouses. Significant reform is necessary to transform this bloated and inefficient bureaucracy into the effective security agency it needs to be.”

"Money spent on equipment sitting in a warehouse in excess is money not spent on the front lines,” said Issa. "This is not a security operation, but rather a recipe for waste and abuse.”

According to the committee's report, as of Feb. 15, 2012:

• About 85 percent of the approximately 5,700 pieces of security equipment was stored for longer than six months; 35 percent had been stored for more than one year. One piece of equipment had been in storage more than six years.

• There were 472 carry-on baggage screening machines in the warehouse, 34 percent of which had been stored for longer than a year.

• The committee estimated the delayed deployment of TSA equipment "has resulted in a massive depreciated loss of equipment utility at an estimated cost to taxpayers of nearly $23 million."

• TSA had 1,462 explosive-trace detectors worth nearly $44 million in storage, far more than it could use in the 463 airports where TSA provides screening operations. When asked why the agency bought so many, agency officials said they needed that many in order to get a discount.

The 22-page committee report said the TSA "intentionally delayed Congressional oversight of the Transportation Logistics Center (TLC) and provided inaccurate, incomplete, and potentially misleading information to Congress in order to conceal the agency’s continued mismanagement of warehouse operations." It said the TLC tried to hide roughly 1,300 pieces of screening equipment from congressional investigators and provided staffers with a list of disposed items "that falsely identified disposal dates and directly contradicted the inventory of equipment" in a report to committee staff.

The committee made a series of recommendations to TSA aimed at ensuring equipment is actually needed before it is purchased.

The TSA defended buying equipment in bulk, saying it saved taxpayers money and that machines have been kept in warehouses at times because airports weren't ready to accept them. The agency said as of Wednesday there are only two AIT machines in storage.

“TSA is responsible for deploying and operating state-of-the-art security technology at over 450 airports across the nation. To fulfill its security responsibilities, TSA rapidly deploys technology to respond to changing threat information, and stand-up operations in locations affected by natural disasters and other crises," said TSA spokesman Matthew Chandler.

"These factors and others require the agency to have a steady inventory of technology available to prevent supply disruptions from compromising aviation security. The overwhelming majority of all screening equipment that is currently in storage (nearly 80 percent) has been warehoused for less than a year," he said. "After technology is tested, TSA must fulfill a number of requirements prior to deploying machines, such as establishing sufficient and qualified staff to operate the new equipment and ensuring the assigned airport has the infrastructure in place to accept it.”

UPDATE: 12:13 p.m. -- This story has been updated to reflect comments made today by a TSA spokesman.

Comments

[cdecisneros]

06:48 PM on 05/13/2012

But wasn't it the GOP that started Homeland security and the TSA?

[custom1000]

02:11 PM on 05/10/2012

My question refers to the very last sentence in the article. . . . . . . . . . . . .

'insuring the assigned airport has the infrastructure in place to accept it.' Why buy this equipment then if we're not really ready for it?

We sure are a country of waste. Didn't they just find over 300+ gas saving automobiles in storage that had been stored for a few years now?

I suspect the real problem is 'communication'. The boss puts in the order to purchase an item, then the accounting dept. pays the bill and the items are delivered. But no one tells the boss that everything has arrived; thus, there's no assignment of distribution. Soooooo, everything gets put into a warehouse 'til it's needed or assigned to a department. After a while, it all gets forgotten or just plain overlooked. No one is appointed to do follow-up.

Again, we're just a really wasteful country.

[cady484]

11:16 AM on 05/10/2012

Republicans, Democrats , keep blaming each other. That way the real culprits can continue to own you. Your ignorance is astounding.

[sonnym941]

10:38 AM on 05/10/2012

We are seeing true morons in action. They couldn't even organize an efficient move to hide their malfeasance. This level of intelligence is not confined to this one area of government. It is rampant in all areas, and these mental defficients are making much more money than we are. How long will this extortion continue?

[jrgilb0729]

10:32 AM on 05/10/2012

For those who want to place all of the blame of this dysfunctional government agency on the Obama Administration please give due credit to the "CREATOR."

In order for Bush to find mindless jobs for his mindless cronies he created the TSA, EMA, Homeland Security debackle.

Now we are all much safer.

[sonnym941]

10:18 AM on 05/10/2012

Well, what do you expect from a bunch of illiterates?............and that is from the lowest hire, all the way up to Obama.

[manmi1]

08:26 AM on 05/10/2012

Doesn't it make you rest easier knowing that at least several lawmakers made money off of this equipment though. I'm sure many of them had stock, or kickbacks from these companies that manufactured this stuff. America, what a country.

[Gordon Michaels]

07:48 AM on 05/11/2012

* The Washington Post printed an article on January 1, 2010, calling Chertoff out for using his government credentials to promote a product that benefits his clients. It was revealed that Rapiscan Systems, the manufacturer of the naked body scanner Chertoff was recommending, was a client of Chertoff’s security consulting agency.

* Rapiscan has since received over $250 million in scanner orders.

http://cannonfire.blogspot.com/2010/11/tsa-cia-and-hidden-truth-about.html

[SocialistBoy]

04:32 AM on 05/10/2012

Wonder , if any of Mike's stuff id there:

"Chertoff has long touted the benefits of biometric identification systems -- retina and fingerprint scans -- stating in 2008 that he doesn't consider them private but more akin to footprints, and that people shouldn't fear the collection and sharing of such information. More recently, he has said that biometric devices are a step in the right direction. Unmentioned in most of these reports is the fact that Chertoff sits on the board of Clear, a new startup that has assumed the assets of Verified Identity Pass, the biometric ID system that charges $179 to allow people to bypass long security lines at the airport. It was picked up at a bankruptcy proceeding for just $6 million by two hedge fund managers."

Credit:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/23/fear_pays_chertoff_n_787711.html

[Java1959]

04:20 AM on 05/10/2012

The TSA and Homeland Security were created by the Republicans after 911. Probably mostly to let their cronies in the private sector dump a lot of junk on the taxpayer. Now it becomes very convenient to put down the agencies and create the illusion that the current administration is mismanaging and wasting money.

[sonnym941]

10:25 AM on 05/10/2012

Oh, I get it....It' still Bush's fault. What a warped broken record. One thing about a diehard lib/socialist......they will grab a talking point from their overseers and use it until they die. Poor things.....not much independent thought, but what would you expect from someone who depends on others for everything?

[cdecisneros]

08:39 PM on 05/13/2012

You guys want desperately to be absolved of electing the worst President in US history. But you never will be. You want to desperately place the blame on the current occupant as the CAUSE of all the current economic problems but you never will be albe to do so.

[zombywulf]

02:29 AM on 05/10/2012

So who in the Bush Family owns the warehouse and leases the space to the TSA.

[JTCan]

07:39 AM on 05/10/2012

Who owns the company they were bought from in the first place?

[mac2jr]

12:16 AM on 05/10/2012

The problem here is that President Obama paid attention to the Nation's security, and not to the administrative side of the job. He hired John S. Pistole, a very good Security Person, to head the TSA department. And Mr. Pistole comes with an impressive background in spotting the 'bad' guys and preventing 'future attacks', but he is NOT a financial or business manager, he is an FBI agent.

Bio at: http://www.tsa.gov/who_we_are/people/bios/john_s_pistole_bio.shtm

[westytx]

12:04 AM on 05/10/2012

“We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security.”
~Dwight D. Eisenhower

But why would any Republican listen to an experienced combat General that served two terms as a Republican in the Oval Office???

[Jurgen Brul]

10:41 PM on 05/09/2012

Dear friends,

Our Economy is So BAD, that Nowadays
a lot of People Do Not LOVE
THEIR NEIGHBOR AS THEMSELVES!( Bible; Matthew 22:39!)
That is why many people are using porn rituals(loveless unity or hazing) to
be a part of a Criminal Gang(such as “Al-Qaeda” translation: "The Base")
in order to put the Transportation Security Administration(TSA) to sleep!
That is why TSA CANNOT Protect the Nation’s transportation systems to
Ensure Freedom of Movement for people and commerce!
WATCH: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd53eoB1WxE

Advice:
The US Government must STOP
People(Criminals/Gangmembers), who are SWALLOWING
Drugs & Chemical Powder Bombs-explosive in order to :
- Use Drugs and
- Use Chemical Powder Bombs-explosive for a Massive Terror Attack!
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/airport-bomb-scanners-neglected-storage-16306128

WATCH SWALLOWING Chemical Powder Danger:
1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20Wj3t94e6g
2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sj6b1DW-zy8
3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b84_7V1bOcQ

Greetings,
Jurgen R. Brul

PS. May Our Good Soldiers and Civilians,
who Serve and Protect Their Nation, Rest in Peace!

[shanefox]

10:32 PM on 05/09/2012

And the authors of this revelation have done, what, to correct this situation?

The money spent on the investigation should be used to put the equipment into service.

Typical congressional mismanagement...

[sonnym941]

10:30 AM on 05/10/2012

The equipment is probably obsolete.......govt has plenty of money to buy more...........especially if the "rich" would pay "just a little more" in taxes.

[shanefox]

11:48 AM on 05/10/2012

Agreed, agreed and truely agreed.

No one can deny that just as a blueprint leaves the drawing board it's obsolete. Techonolgy currently changes every eighteen months, more or less, so what's a body to do?

To use the ruse, the more you buy the more you'll save is really an elbow bending tactic. Three are needed but ten will be cheaper, right?

At the store when the clerk says that I've saved so much, I ask, "So the more I buy the more money I'll save?" "Why, yes." "Then how much do I need to buy to make everything free?"

As a nonsequir Paper or plastic" I say, "Paper because they cut down plastic Christmas trees to make the bags!" So far, two startled clerks said, "Really?"

The more you buy the more you save. Nonsense. Buy what you need, but have a couple of spares and get it in service. OK, three for X amount but ten'll cost just a few more dollars. Storage, additional labor to store the equipment, cost of storage will probably our-run any "savings." In-service means no labor or storage costs

The old stuff we can give, as part of an aid package, to developing countries or as training devices.

There will always be waste but let's not create a prefabricated ploy to feed Big Money.

[Mark Adelson]

10:11 PM on 05/09/2012

This department created under Bush. Contract was given to former head of that department head of the company that manufactured the equipment former Republican congressman Chertoff. So, The Republican party is out to destroy our country and the TSA should be shutdown and put out of business. The TSA couldn't catch a cold.