Blumenthal Statement on Commerce Committee Approval of Vice Admiral Neffenger as TSA Chief

(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) — member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation — released the following statement on the committee’s approval of Vice Admiral Peter Neffenger to be the next chief of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA):

“We’re only as strong as our weakest link, and the recent reports reveal 67 gaping holes in our security network.  It's clear that TSA needs a change agent at the top to make sure these failures are a thing of the past, and I was pleased to vote Vice Admiral Neffenger out of the Senate Commerce Committee, bringing the TSA one step closer to much-needed new management.  As this nomination moves through the rest of the Senate, I will also continue to seek answers about how he will ensure our entire transportation system is made more secure.”

The committee’s vote comes after recent reports that on 67 of 70 attempts, secret TSA investigators were able to slip weapons and prohibited items past TSA screeners.