Rep. Yoder Demands Answers on TSA Wait Times

Washington, DC – This afternoon, Representative Kevin Yoder (R-KS) sent a letter to United States Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) Jeh Johnson and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Administrator Peter Neffenger demanding answers about the increasing long wait times at TSA lines in airports across the country and what the agency is doing to alleviate the issue.

“Airports around our country are troubled by long lines of passengers waiting to go through security screening before boarding their flights,” Representative Yoder said in the letter. “I am calling on you and your department to take swift and decisive action in order to alleviate this problem. The safety of our travelers is of utmost concern, but the TSA must also be able to do its job without becoming another bloated, ineffective government agency.”

The full text of the letter is reproduced below.

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The Honorable Secretary Jeh Johnson

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

300 7th St SW

Washington, D.C. 20024

Dear Secretary Johnson,

Airports around our country are troubled by long lines of passengers waiting to go through security screening before boarding their flights. I am calling on you and your department to take swift and decisive action in order to alleviate this problem. The safety of our travelers is of utmost concern, but the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) must also be able to do its job without becoming another bloated, ineffective government agency.

I have heard from numerous constituents about the issues with long waiting lines in airports. To make matters worse, the trend is moving in the wrong direction as fliers routinely deal with longer and longer lines. Most people cannot afford to spend hours of their time waiting in line, and many are missing flights due to inordinate wait times. These problems have a rippling effect on travel industries as business and pleasure travelers are less inclined to fly.

In light of these well-documented problems, I am seeking a plan of action from you and your department to improve this situation. Specifically, I would like the answers to these questions:

What is the TSA’s plan to reduce wait times for travelers going through security screening?

Has the TSA set specific goals or benchmarks to evaluate the effectiveness of the aforementioned plan?

Does the TSA have a timeline within which it plans to achieve these goals?

What security screening operations are Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) involved with outside of airports?

Thank you for your commitment to ensuring the safety and security of our nation’s travelers. I hope to see quick and meaningful progress from the TSA to address this problem. I appreciate your attention to these questions, and I look forward to your timely response.

                                                                        Sincerely,

                                                                        Kevin Yoder

                                                                        Member of Congress

Cc: Peter Neffenger, Administrator, Transportation Security Administration