TSA

A group of 145 House members has signed a letter to the head of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) calling for the agency to permanently drop its idea of allowing small knives on airplanes.

The TSA had planned to begin allowing airlines passengers to carry knives with blades shorter than 2.36 inches in their carry-on bags last month. But the agency relented on the proposal after intense push back from lawmakers and aviation groups.

The bipartisan group of House members who wrote to TSA Administrator John Pistole on Wednesday said that that agency should retire the plan to allow knives onto planes for good. 

Flight attendants are defending Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) from attacks on his record on national security issues in the Massachusetts Senate special election.

Republican candidate Gabriel Gomez has questioned Markey’s commitment to security in recent days, arguing that the longtime congressman has voted against several measures to protect the homeland since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. 

But the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) union, which represents American Airlines employees, said Markey has actively worked to safeguard airplanes from potential terrorists during his tenure in Congress.

The union, which has endorsed Markey, cited congressman’s recent efforts to convince the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to drop its plans to allow small knives onto airplanes for the first time since 9/11. 

Eighty-three percent of likely voters are opposed to allowing knives on airplanes, according to a poll commissioned by a union for flight attendants.

The survey was conducted after the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) pushed earlier this year to allow knives with blades smaller than 2.36 inches onto airplanes for the first time since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), which is staunchly opposed to the change, commissioned a poll of 1,206 likely voters to bolster its argument that TSA should continue prohibiting all airline passengers from carrying any knives on their flights.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is preparing to hear a challenge of a fine it issued to a passenger for removing his clothes at an airport checkpoint last year.

The passenger, a Portland resident, removed his clothes at the city's airport to protest being searched by TSA agents who reportedly suspected that he traces of explosives on his shirt.

The man was initially charged with incedent exposure, but he was later acquitted by a Portland judge. The TSA assessed a $1,000 civil penalty on the man, which will be the subject of this week's hearing. 

A few lawmakers have reported trouble, but FAA says no more delays because of sequester.

The TSA is trying to assess a $1,000 fine for the 2012 incident.

Your morning transportation speed-read: 

Scathing report finds serious problems in program intended to improve port security.

An inspector general report found the agency was spending $800,000 per year on warehouse space.

The TSA is defending the money it spends on storing equipment it is not using.