Tom Rooney: TSA Goes Too Far, Reform Needed

Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney offered his thoughts on the current controversy over the new search techniques being employed by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on airline passengers.

Passengers are angry, and they should be, said Rooney on Friday. Full-body pat-downs and explicit photo screenings have gone too far, and the security benefits of implementing these procedures on random passengers are dubious at best.

TSA full-body screenings and pat-downs are an invasive, unnecessary infringement on passengers rights, continued Rooney. Congress must exercise its oversight authority to investigate why TSA has mandated these new procedures and whether or not they actually provide stronger security for airline passengers.

Unfortunately, TSA has become a bloated federal bureaucracy with more than 70,000 employees, added Rooney. In a classic example of mission creep, the agency has vastly overstepped its original charter and is no longer effectively administering its duties and responsibilities.Congress should act immediately to reform TSA.