[Just The News] Democrats in the United States Senate blocked another attempt by Republicans to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Thursday, as the partial government shutdown entered its fourth week. One of the most apparent consequences of the blockade is the out-of-control TSA wait lines at airports across the country.
As the issue is elevated by people like Senators Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn, and Dave McCormick, R-Pa., the argument inevitably reemerges that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is unconstitutional and should not exist anyway.
The Transportation Security Administration was established in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people when hijackers seized four commercial airliners and used them as weapons against targets in New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
Prior to 9/11, airport passenger screening in the United States was handled by private contractors hired by airlines. Standards were minimal: passengers could carry small pocket knives aboard, no boarding pass or ID was required to reach gates in many cases, and security was often inconsistent across airports.
The attacks exposed these vulnerabilities, as the hijackers exploited lax procedures to board flights with box cutters and knives.
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