Return to Transcripts main page
Live From...
Air Marshals Program Will Not be Cut
Aired July 30, 2003 - 14:35 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Islamic extremists planning suicide attacks could be plotting to hijack commercial airliners this summer. That's the word from the Department of Homeland Security which has some detailed information now about now about how terrorists plan to get around to tighten security and immigration rules. Our own Jeanne Meserve can fill us in on that. Hello to You, Jeanne.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Heidi. The debate moved up to Capitol Hill this afternoon. Democratic members of the Congress going to town saying the administration is simply not spending enough on homeland security. They pointed specifically to reports that that the crash-strapped Transportation Security Administration plans to roll back the federal air marshal's program. Here's Senator Barbara Boxer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARBARA BOXER (D), CALIFORNIA: Cuts in air marshals should not happen now and it should not happen ever, not until we know that the war on terrorism has clearly been won. You cannot put a price on American lives and what this would do to our economy. And it would be irresponsible, not cost effective, to move forward in this way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: Tom Ridge and his Department of Homeland Security are trying to defuse the issue. They say air marshals will continue to fly at full strength.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM RIDGE, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: The Americans should know that every air marshal that we have is being deployed and additional resources are being directed to that very critical mission. America should also know, and I suggest they probably share this point of view that after Flight 93, it is doubtful that any group of passengers would let any would-be hijacker take over their planes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: But Appropriation Committee sources on Capitol Hill say just last Friday the Transportation Security Administration asked to move $104 million out of the air marshals program to help address the TSAs almost $1 billion budget shortfall. That would have been after the current threat information was developed. What makes the cuts in the air marshal program so controversial of course, is the advisory that has gone out warning of possible hijackings by Islamic extremists. The advisory says the attacks could take place before summer's end in the eastern United States, the United Kingdom, Italy or Australia.
It's talks about hijackers weaponizing items like cameras and exploiting a policy which allows travelers transiting the U.S. to do so without a visa.
The detailed information was gathered from interviews with high- level al Qaeda detainees and electronic intercepts. Evaluations of its credibility still are continuing -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, Jeanne Meserve, thanks so much for the update on that.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired July 30, 2003 - 14:35 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Islamic extremists planning suicide attacks could be plotting to hijack commercial airliners this summer. That's the word from the Department of Homeland Security which has some detailed information now about now about how terrorists plan to get around to tighten security and immigration rules. Our own Jeanne Meserve can fill us in on that. Hello to You, Jeanne.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Heidi. The debate moved up to Capitol Hill this afternoon. Democratic members of the Congress going to town saying the administration is simply not spending enough on homeland security. They pointed specifically to reports that that the crash-strapped Transportation Security Administration plans to roll back the federal air marshal's program. Here's Senator Barbara Boxer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARBARA BOXER (D), CALIFORNIA: Cuts in air marshals should not happen now and it should not happen ever, not until we know that the war on terrorism has clearly been won. You cannot put a price on American lives and what this would do to our economy. And it would be irresponsible, not cost effective, to move forward in this way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: Tom Ridge and his Department of Homeland Security are trying to defuse the issue. They say air marshals will continue to fly at full strength.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM RIDGE, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: The Americans should know that every air marshal that we have is being deployed and additional resources are being directed to that very critical mission. America should also know, and I suggest they probably share this point of view that after Flight 93, it is doubtful that any group of passengers would let any would-be hijacker take over their planes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: But Appropriation Committee sources on Capitol Hill say just last Friday the Transportation Security Administration asked to move $104 million out of the air marshals program to help address the TSAs almost $1 billion budget shortfall. That would have been after the current threat information was developed. What makes the cuts in the air marshal program so controversial of course, is the advisory that has gone out warning of possible hijackings by Islamic extremists. The advisory says the attacks could take place before summer's end in the eastern United States, the United Kingdom, Italy or Australia.
It's talks about hijackers weaponizing items like cameras and exploiting a policy which allows travelers transiting the U.S. to do so without a visa.
The detailed information was gathered from interviews with high- level al Qaeda detainees and electronic intercepts. Evaluations of its credibility still are continuing -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, Jeanne Meserve, thanks so much for the update on that.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
