WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, D-Mo., Wednesday demanded House Republican leadership act on some form of aviation security legislation to swiftly move the matter to the president's desk.
Gephardt said while Congress has passed anti-terrorism and airline bailout measures, the House has yet to even debate three aviation security proposals, including a bill that passed the Senate on a 100-0 vote.
"A minority in the majority opposes (the Senate bill) that would put federal law enforcement agents at all baggage and screening checkpoints," Gephardt told a news conference. "This minority does not want to vote on the good House bill sponsored by Jim Oberstar, D-Minn., or the Senate bill, because they fear they won't have the votes to defeat them."
Both the Senate and Oberstar bills would make all baggage and passenger screening positions into federal jobs in either the Justice or Transportation departments, swelling the federal payroll by more than 25,000 people.
The third proposal, put forth a week ago by Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, chairman of the Transportation Committee, and committee member Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., gives the president the option of federalizing screeners.
Gephardt said House Majority Leader Dick Armey and Majority Whip Tom Delay, both Texas Republicans, are blocking action because of ideological opposition to increasing the size of government. Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., appears to be in favor of bringing one of the bills to the floor, Gephardt said, adding he is confident, but not certain, one of the full-federalization measures can pass.
"There are a lot of very conservative Republican senators and they voted for the bill," Gephardt said. "I have to believe we should be optimistic about being able to pass (the Senate bill)."
The American people will begin to doubt the country's leadership if this issue remains deadlocked, Gephardt said. Debate should continue on important measures, but that requires action, he said.
"It's unconscionable that the Republican leadership has not brought this up. This should have been up at the same time the bill to help the airlines came up," Gephardt said. "It is just as important, just as vital, just as time-sensitive as what we did to get the airlines back in the air."
Representatives from pilot and flight attendant unions, who were at the news conference, supported Gephardt's call, especially for what it would mean to displaced workers. William Turbett, a pilot with US Airways, said he and more than 1,300 other of the airline's pilots are being laid off.
"Never before has an industry been hit so violently, so quickly and suffered repercussions so severe," Turbett said. "Safety on airlines is paramount to the aviation industry's recovery. Congress must ... work towards swift passage of the aviation security bill in the House."
Gephardt reiterated the argument airline security should not be contracted out, that a professional, law-enforcement approach will do the best job of protecting airports and airplanes. The president could make such changes by executive order, but does not want to, Gephardt said.
The White House pressed Capitol Hill to act on the Young/Mica bill Wednesday.
"The president believes it is the best aviation security measure under consideration by the Congress," said White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer. "It strengthens the federal role in oversight and supervision of safety at the airlines."
On Tuesday, Vice President Dick Cheney met with Armey and Delay, presumably to prod the process along. Bush was expected to bring members of the lawmakers back to the West Wing on Wednesday.
