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CNN Live At Daybreak
Security Measures May Not Be in Place by Deadline
Aired November 28, 2001 - 06:37 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: A long list of new airline security measures now taking effect. Among them, international flights must now submit their passenger list electronically or they face extensive checks and searches. Our Jeanne Meserve reports on homeland defense headaches for travelers and also for transportation officials.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The screening of all checked baggage for explosives by dog, machine or by hand was a key provision of the aviation security bill signed just last week by President Bush. But now the president's own transportation secretary says it won't happen on time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NORMAN MINETA, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: The law says that we have to start screening baggage in 60 days. There aren't enough people. There aren't enough bomb sniffing dogs to be able to do the job.
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MESERVE: Mineta says no one told him the dogs could only work for an hour at a stretch. There also was a problem getting enough of the sophisticated machines that screen for explosives, although the administration is exploring licensing new manufacturers in order to meet another deadline that all baggage be machine scanned by the end of 2002. Meanwhile, the administration insists it will screen as many bags as possible.
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ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Congress gave a very tight 60-day deadline and the administration is going to do everything it possibly can to comply with it.
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MESERVE: Mineta's comments brought howls from members of Congress including the republican who sponsored the baggage screening provision.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SENATOR KAY BAILEY HUTCHINSON: I think it is way premature to say that he can't meet a deadline. We gave him a lot of ways to do it, and what we're looking for is a sincere try.
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MESERVE: Democratic leader Tom Daschle questioned the impact on the traveling public.
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SEN. TOM DASCHLE, (D), SD: It doesn't serve our confidence level to know that simply a week or so after we passed the bill, we're told that the administration can't comply.
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MESERVE: But many in the airline industry say the deadline for screening checked baggage was unrealistic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID STEMPLER, AIR TRAVELERS ASSOCIATION: I just don't think that Congress was aware of what it was going to take to do what they've required and I think everyone was trying to push after 9-11 to get baggage inspection done, but I just don't think that anyone could have met those deadlines.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: One way bags could be checked for bombs, hand inspections by the National Guard, but that would guarantee long delays at airports, which wouldn't please the traveling public either.
Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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