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CNN Live At Daybreak

Target: Terrorism - Transportation Security

Aired October 04, 2001 - 07:25   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: We are seeing some of the first signs of partisan differences on Capitol Hill since the September 11 attacks. Democrats and Republicans in the Senate are at odds over measures to improve airport security. Now, one issue of debate is whether to make baggage and passenger screeners federal employees.

Joining us now to debate that and other issues concerning transportation security issues are Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, a Republican, and John Breaux of Louisiana, a Democrat. Good to see the two of you. Welcome.

SEN. JOHN BREAUX (D), LOUISIANA: Good morning.

SEN. KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON (R), TEXAS: Thank you.

ZAHN: All right, Senators, let's just quickly set up what Transportation Secretary Mineta would like to see passed, and that is a plan that will require federal managers and law enforcement officers at every checkpoint, impose federal standards on screeners but not mandate that they, in fact, be federal employees. Is that the way to go, Senator Hutchison?

HUTCHISON: Well, I had really hoped that we could have a federal division in the Department of Transportation that would be for security, for transportation security, that would include air marshals and screeners on the ground and supervisors. I think that would be the most efficient. However, and I also like having a career track.

However, I understand what the administration is saying, that they need a transition period. It would cause upheaval if you just all of a sudden said that you're going to undo all of the private contracts. And so I think we need to try to work with them to do the right thing.

ZAHN: Senator Breaux, what kind of compromise do you think will finally be etched out here?

BREAUX: Paula, some of the good news is that I can hear the airplanes over my shoulder taking off from the National Airport, and that's good news. I think in the past if you think about it, with the way we have run security at airports is that we've always tried to do it on who can do it the cheapest, not on who can do it the best. I happen to think that having federal officials, federal employees will bring about stability and give a degree of security to the traveling public that it's being done properly, not just being done the cheapest. And I think that we're going to resolve this.

I mean I think there will be a great deal more federal involvement. This is something that will not stop this bill from being enacted and I think we'll get it done in the relatively near future.

ZAHN: Well, let me ask you this, Senator Hutchison, along the point Senator Breaux just made, it would seem that if you look at this bill, this plan closely of Transportation Secretary Mineta, there would be sort of 18 months grace period where you would determine on a case by case basis whether you should, in fact, have federally mandated screeners.

HUTCHISON: Yes...

ZAHN: Do you think that's an appropriate timetable or would you like to see that shortened?

HUTCHISON: Well, I would like to see a very short period for the standards to be put in place and the bill that we have introduced has education standards, a high school equivalency degree, English proficiency, vision and hearing proficiency, background checks. Those things are very important and they need to go into effect right now. And I think the administration agrees with that so we can go forward on that.

What they want is some leeway in a transition period and then determine after that if we need to go to federal employees or not or perhaps federal employees at certain airports but local law enforcement officers in smaller airports.

The plan that we have put forward would have local law enforcement officials trained by the Department of Transportation that would be allowed to do some of the smaller airports. But they would be law enforcement personnel and they would be local employees reimbursed by the government. I think that's another route that we should look at.

I think what people want to see is something different from what we do now.

ZAHN: Senator Breaux, let's move on to the issue of train travel now. Amtrak asking for some $3.2 billion to, from the federal government to improve security and reliability of its system. Is that appropriate and do you think Amtrak will get that kind of money?

BREAUX: Well, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and I serve on the Surface Transportation Subcommittee. I'm subcommittee chairman. We had hearings just this week on the question of Amtrak safety as well as passenger ship safety. I actually don't think we do enough with regard to Amtrak passenger safety. You can bring a suitcase on a passenger train and no one's going to check it. No one's going to look at it, either through an X-ray machine or through a personal inspection.

I think we can do better than that. I think we have to secure the bridges and the tunnels. I think it's going to cost us some money and I think we're going to have to make sure that this is a national system that people are comfortable in using and that they're going to be able to use it safely.

But we can do a better job and I think Amtrak is committed to doing that.

ZAHN: But at the same time, Senator Breaux, the Amtrak president says it's completely unrealistic to think that you can physically check every piece of carry on baggage that goes on a train.

BREAUX: Well, I think we can't build a bubble around every American citizen, I mean, but we can have a higher degree of inspection than we did. We can have marshals on trains to help protect passengers and I think that a screening system of large suitcases that are brought on passenger trains is not too much to ask. I mean you literally could carry just about anything onto an Amtrak train and leave it there and walk off the train. We don't want that to happen and I think that we can do an inspection system with regard to metal detectors and things that we do on airplanes that I think would work very well at a minimum degree of expense and a great deal more security for the passengers.

ZAHN: Senator Hutchison, you get the last word here this morning. The Amtrak president also made it quite clear through his comments that he believes that it's the East Coast that is most vulnerable to any kind of attacks along rail lines. Why are you opposed to the concentration of funds he's talking about to help alleviate some of those concerns along the East Coast corridor?

HUTCHISON: I'm one of the largest supporters of Amtrak. But I support Amtrak as a national passenger rail system and the idea that we would put $3 billion into the northeast corridor and not do the same protections throughout the system is incredible to me. And I will not support it unless it's throughout the system. I will support it if there is a fair allocation of resources.

I agree with John Breaux in every respect. We need to inspect baggage. We need to have screeners. We need to have marshals on Amtrak throughout the system, not just the northeast corridor.

ZAHN: All right, Senators Hutchison, Senator Breaux, thank you very, very much. Appreciate your time and we'll be following this debate very closely from here.

BREAUX: Thank you, Paula.

HUTCHISON: Thank you.

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