FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 22, 2013

Hudson Sends Letter to TSA Administrator on Behalf of Wounded Veterans

WASHINGTON- Chairman of the Transportation Security Subcommittee Richard Hudson (R-NC-08) sent the following letter to TSA Administrator John Pistole, advocating for changes in TSA’s screening policies that will ensure our wounded veterans are treated with respect and dignity as they travel.

Dear Administrator Pistole,
 
I write to thank you for taking the time to testify before the Committee on Homeland Security’s Subcommittee on Transportation Security last Thursday. Your testimony was necessary to fully understand how TSA engages in altering screening policy. It is critically important we continue to work with you as you move forward with implementation of new risk-based policy changes.  As I have said before, you have a difficult job and we want to support you, but in order to do so we must always strive to have open and clear communication.  
 
I called the hearing to discuss TSA's risk-based screening techniques, the most visible of which is Pre-Check. While we briefly discussed similar programs for our military and veterans' communities, I was deeply disturbed this week by reports that our wounded warriors continue to be subjected to a level of scrutiny that at times is completely unacceptable. We must ensure that our service men and women are treated with dignity and respect, especially those who have been severely wounded while fighting to protect our nation. We can all agree that the federal government should not devote precious taxpayer dollars to screening low risk people, places, or things, and that those who have sacrificed for our country certainly qualify.
 
Following up on our conversation yesterday, I understand that TSA is considering changes to their current protocols regarding the Wounded Warrior Program to increase accessibility and privacy protections for our nation’s heroes. Like other risk-based security measures, I applaud your efforts to make this common-sense improvement and urge you to implement it as quickly as possible.

I look forward to working with you on these critical steps to ensure our nation’s security while balancing ease of travel for passengers.
 

Sincerely,

RICHARD HUDSON

Member of Congress

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