Klobuchar Calls on TSA to Improve Staffing at MSP

Between 2012 and 2017, MSP passenger traffic increased 12% while TSA reduced its number of screeners by 6%

MINNEAPOLIS – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) released the following statement regarding Transportation Security Administration (TSA) staffing at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport:

“It is simply unacceptable that TSA staffing at MSP has decreased while passenger traffic has increased,” Klobuchar said. “It is critical that officials do everything possible to mitigate the impact on wait times caused by this construction, particularly as MSP has seen the numbers of passengers at the airport increase. This is one of the reasons I previously wrote to TSA Administrator David Pekoske urging him to increase staffing at MSP to address recent increases in wait times at checkpoints, and why I am renewing my call for TSA to act.”

Klobuchar has sent two letters since last fall to TSA Administrator David Pekoske urging the agency to increase staffing at MSP to address recent increases in wait times at security checkpoints. The Metropolitan Airport Commission has made significant improvements to consolidate, modernize, and streamline its Terminal 1 security checkpoints, but the benefits from the investments in efficiency have been offset by reductions in TSA staffing levels. In 2012, MSP served 33.9 million passengers and had 670 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) officers allocated to the airport. By 2017, MSP traffic had increased to 38 million passengers but TSA had reduced the number of assigned FTE officers to 630. This 12% increase in the number of passengers combined with a 6% reduction in screeners is a concerning trend—particularly as MSP serves an increasing number of domestic and international passengers.

In 2016, Klobuchar helped secure additional K-9 units for the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport which significantly reduced passenger wait times while increasing security. She also worked to pass language increasing the number of Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response (VIPR) teams that worked alongside local law enforcement to secure all public transportation in the city and provide additional support to security staff during the Super Bowl LII in 2018.

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