TSA Plays Hide and Go Seek With Taxpayer-Funded Equipment

Normally, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) makes the news because of its actions, specifically those involving the grossly inappropriate screening of airport travelers. 

But this week TSA is in the news for its inaction – failing to install $184 million worth of airport security equipment, and instead leaving it in a warehouse to gather dust.  The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a joint hearing to study this issue and more broadly examine whether the TSA is effectively procuring, deploying, and storing security equipment. An earlier report released by the two committees revealed that TSA had spent $3.5 million a year to lease and manage a warehouse in Dallas that held 5,700 pieces of unused equipment.

As galling as this news may be, we can’t be too shocked to read a news story about government wasting taxpayer dollars.  They’re practically a dime a dozen these days, and let’s get real, $184 million is only a drop in the bucket for the government.  But it’s one thing to act as an irresponsible, careless steward of taxpayer money; it becomes entirely another thing when there’s an attempt to cover up the malfeasance.  And that’s exactly what the TSA did. 

The Washington Post recently reported that “When House investigators sought information about the stored material, the TSA ‘provided inaccurate, incomplete, and potentially misleading information to conceal the agency’s mismanagement of warehouse operations.’”  The congressional report also revealed that the TSA attempted to hide about 1,300 pieces of airport screening equipment from the investigators and provided a list of disposed items “that falsely identified disposal dates and directly contradicted the inventory of equipment.”

While it’s mildly encouraging that this time around a congressional investigation successfully discovered a discrepancy in the TSA’s handling of equipment, it’s equally – if not more so –depressing because this incident is one among many.  How many more are lurking out there that may never be discovered?

Chairman Issa offered a statementbefore the hearing that gets to what is really at the heart of the matter.  Issa noted, “These flaws are exacerbated by a management structure that seems content to throw millions of dollars at untested solutions that are bought in excess and poorly deployed and managed.”  And with a government that is growing to a nearly uncontrollable size, there will be even more examples like the TSA debacle to follow.  This propensity of carelessness gets to one of the core distinctions between the private sector and the government.  Unlike the private sector that has skin in the game – meaning a company’s success or failure depends almost entirely upon its ability to act wisely –  government ventures and employees don’t have the same incentives, motivations or interests in doing a job well.  This is an issue that becomes all the larger as government grows all the bigger.  Until Congress can curb government spending and reduce its reach, the examples of waste will only continue to increase. 

Even if this news of the waste at TSA doesn’t surprise you, at least let it outrage you.  Taxpayers are not only left to foot the bill, but also the ones with the prerogative – should we chose to use it – to say enough is enough.  If taxpayers don’t stand up to fight, who will?  Or worse yet, if we don’t put pressure on the government to be responsible stewards of our finances, what more will it get away with?