Quorum call mr. Thune mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from south dakota. Mr. Thune i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Thune mr. President , i know of no further debate on the motion to proceed. The presiding officer is there further debate . If not, the question is on the motion to proceed. All in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it. The motion is agreed to. The clerk will report the bill. The clerk calendar number 55, h. R. 636, an act to amend the Internal Revenue code of 1986 to permanently extend increased expensing limitations and for other purposes. Mr. Thune mr. President , i call up substitute amendment number 3464. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk the senator from south dakota, mr. Thune, proposes an amendment numbered 3464. Strike all after mr. Thune i ask consent that the reading be waived. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Thune i ask unanimous consent that the next amendments in order be the following and that it be in order to call them up and considered offered in the order listed gardner, 3460; thune, 3512; heinrich, 3482, as modified; thune, 3462; schumer, 3483; thune, 3463; cantwell, 3490. The presiding officer is there objection . Without objection. Mr. Thune i call up the gardner amendment number 3460. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk the senator from south dakota, mr. Thune, for mrn amendment numbered 3462, amendment numbered 3464. Mr. Thune i ask the reading be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Thune i call up amendment number 3512. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk the senator from south dakota, mr. Thune, proposes amendment numbered 3512 to amendment numbered 3464. Mr. Thune i ask unanimous consent the reading be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Thune mr. President , i ask unanimous consent the senate be in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Thune mr. President , i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of calendar number 387, senate bill 1638. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk calendar number 387, s. 1638, a bill to direct the secretary of Homeland Security to submit to congress on the department of Homeland Security headquarters consolidation project in the National Capital region, and for other purposes. The presiding officer is there objection to proceeding to the measure . Without objection. Mr. Thune mr. President , i ask consent that the committeereported amendments be agreed to, the bill as amended be read a third time and passed and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Thune i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of calendar number 390, senate bill 1492. The clerk calendar number 390, s. 1492, a bill to direct the administrator of General Services on behalf of the archivist of the United States to convey certain federal property, and so forth. The presiding officer is there objection to proceeding to the measure . Without objection. Mr. Thune mr. President , i ask consent that the committeereported substitute be agreed to, the bill as amended be read a third time and passed and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Thune mr. President , i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Senate Resolution 415 submitted earlier today. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk Senate Resolution 415, congratulating the 2016 national champions, the villanova wildcats, for their win in the 2016 National CollegiateAthletic Association division one mens basketball tournament. The presiding officer is there objection to proceeding to the measure . Without objection. Mr. Thune mr. President , i further ask that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Thune mr. President , i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 9 30 a. M. Thursday, april 7. Following the prayer and pledge, the morning business be deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day. Further, that following leader remarks, the senate resume consideration of h. R. 636. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Thune mr. President , for the information of all senators, we expect votes on pending amendments to the f. A. A. Bill during tomorrows session of the senate and will notify offices when they are scheduled. If there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order. The presiding officer the Senate Stands adjourned until Senate Stands adjourned until the book tells both a story of the fact that the manuscript is a National Treasure is not what we thought, while also trying to chronologically think about what was madison encountering at the time. Keeping those two narratives straits was quite tricky for a while. Sunday night, q a. Boston College Law School discusses her book, medicine fan. It takes a critical look at the notes madison road during and after the constitution of 1787. He took the sheets of paper and he writes on the front, across the middle and on the two pages across the backside. At some point he sold all of these little pieces of paper together into manuscript. One of the things we noticed when were down there is the last quarter of the manuscript, the holes that he had found did not match with the earlier ones. This confirmed my suspicion at the very end of the manuscript had been written later. You cannot see that on the microfilm. It was it was a really wonderful thing to see that in person. Sunday night on eight eastern on cspans q a. Our cspan campaign 2016 bus continues to make stops around the country visiting winners from this years students student cam competition. Recently we visited the metropolitan arts in unix arizona to give prizes to the kids. Catherine minard and christian pain one second prize for their book on gender wage. Then our campaign 2016 bus stop in los angeles for ceremony at their prizewinner, to present winners with those awards. Cspan extends thanks to our partners for their help in coordinating our student cam business in their community. Every weekday on cspan be sure to watch the top 21 winning entries at 6 50 a. M. Eastern, at the washington journal. Tsa administrator testified at a Senate Hearing about how to defend Transportation Systems from the kind of terrorist attacks that hit terrace and brussels. This hour and 20 minute meeting was held and begins with Committee Chair senator, johnson. Will get the hearing underway and will be joined momentarily by senator nelson, let me start by welcoming the administrator here today, thank you so much for taken time for us. March 20 second, terrorist associated with ices detonated three bombs and brussels, two at an airport and one in a busy metro car. Thirtyfive people, including four americans were killed. The victims of these attacks remain in our thoughts and prayers. The threat from isis, al qaeda, and their sympathizers is real, we must ensure sound policies are in place to enhance security and prevent these deadly attacks. The hearing will focus on the efforts of the Transportation Security Administration to secure Service Transportation modes. In light of the attacks and brussels, however we will address related challenges safeguarding the areas of airports outside passenger screening checkpoints. Administrator, i understand that you are by chance and the Brussels Airport at the time of the attacks, i hope that you will share your thoughts on the horrific events there and how we can prevent and prepare for similar threats. I understand your written testimony focuses on rail transit, pipeline security but i hope youll share Additional Information on how we can improve Airport Security. The tsa must learn from past attacks and look forward to new and emerging threats. Sadly, it is clear that terrace associated with al qaeda and isis identify Passenger Rail and transit systems as soft targets. Its critical not to neglect these vital parts of the Transportation System. We need to look for ways to improve security. Understandably these open systems cannot be secured in the same way that our Aviation Network. Nevertheless, some of the techniques we utilize in the Aviation Network apply to service assets, as well as area of the airports on the street side of the checkpoint. Our best tool in combating terrorist attack continues to be good intelligence. Tsa has adopted a multilayer process to identify threats. Former administrator john pistol strongly promoted the riskbased allocation of tsas resources. I look forward to hearing from the administrators today on his riskbased analysis of threats. Tsa cannot and should not be at every bus stop or every train station. They must leverage their relationship with state and local officials and address the most significant threats. Visible security efforts can also make a difference. Explosives, canines and Police Presence can deter threats and activities. Tsa supported programs is invaluable. I like to hear more about how these teams are allocated among airports and other Transportation Systems. Tsa is also charged with protecting Transportation Networks including ports, railroads, and pipeline infrastructure. These networks. These networks are crucial components of our nations economy. Tsa receives high marks from railroad and pipeline operators who work with the agency to identify and mitigate threats. Publicprivate security partnerships between agency and operators have been invaluable in hardening these networks. On the aviation front, ranking nelson and i have been looking at problems airports have had in successfully managing security credentials. This oversight led led the committee to brew bipartisan legislation, the Airport Security and enhancement act to heighten that in airport workers. Unfortunately, the the Current System such individuals are not captured. Some of the perpetrators and deadly attacks on brussels are previously known to authorities as criminals. U. S. Terrorism experts believe isis is recruiting criminals to join ranks in europe. As we work to address the threat of an aviation insider helping terrorists, criminals who break laws for financial gains and those with history of violence are good place to start. Ensuring that airport workers with security credentials are trustworthy are especially important considering isis affiliated is believed to have killed the two to four people on a russian passenger plane with the help of an airport employee. The committee is also improved legislation 2043 which would help expand participation of the tsa project Application Program by developing private sector partnerships and capabilities. As a result, more vetted passengers will receive expedited airport screening which will get passengers through checkpoint screening quickly and ensure they do not pose a easy target that isis suicide bombers exploited. Probably both of these measures can and should advance in the full senate this week. Administrator, thank you for being here today. We need strong leadership and Decisive Action to it attack this terrorist threat. Youre faced with the challenge of getting it right every time when the terrace just needs one opportunity. I look for to hearing from you about how tsa is working to meet that challenge. I would like to recognize art Ranking Member for his Opening Statement. Thank you mr. Chairman. In the last ten years, right after 911, 1900 attacks were carried out against transit systems around the world resulting in 4000 deaths and 14000 injuries. In aviation, almost 15 years after 911, terrorists are still finding those of vulnerabilities which the chairman has noted. We have two types of vulnerabilities before us, we have the vulnerability of the perimeter of the airport which was addressed and legislation passed last year sponsored by the two members at the front of the dais. Airport security perimeter that allows the injection airport because of the airport employee to sneak a bomb on. Same thing with the gun running scheme in atlanta two years ago, that unbelievably over three months, 153 firearms were smuggled onto 17 flights. That was in december, the last quarter of 2014. So we address that and in this committee and the Airport Security enhancement and oversight act of 2015. Hopefully that is going to be attached to the faa bill. Now we have this additional security problem. That is, where passengers are bunched up in a soft area like the lines it going through tsa, like the crowded lines at an airport checkin counter, like the lines in a bus or train station where people are all huddled up trying to get through the security. In 2016, less than 2 of tsas a total budget and fulltime employees are dedicated to protecting surface Transportation Networks, the bus, the trains, et cetera. While we have yet to suffer a recent attack on a Mass Transit System in the u. S. , brussels is just another reminder of what they did in the transit station there. So, tsa tsa can take immediate action by completing the recommendation of the 911 commission which were enacted into law in 2007. Additionally, we have an opportunity to improve the law coming up in this current faa bill with regard to the soft targets outside of the security perimeter. So, it it is time to reexamine our transportation Security Strategy and refocus our efforts. Mr. Administrator we thank you for being here today and we look forward to it. Thank you senator nelson. Administrator, thank you for being here and we look forward to hearing your opening remarks and we will look forward to asking you some questions. Please proceed. Thank you. Good morning chairman thing, Ranking Member nelson, distinguished members of the committee. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss the tsas Critical Mission to ensure tsas Critical Mission to ensure security of our nations Transportation System. First, let me in my condolences and those to all the tsa to the victims of the brussel attack. As you noise at the brussel airport at the day of the bombing. I was there for a meeting for the number of european counterparts and where theyre just as the bombs detonated. Being being there at that day, seeing the devastation, seeing the chaos of airport environments and the evil behind it was a stark stark reminder of the importance of the work that we do at tsa every day to protect travelers. I have been on the job for nine months. When i arrived i was confronted with the disturbing results of the Inspector Generals testing in about an organization and crisis. What i also found was an organization of nearly 50,000 dedicated professionals nearly 50000 dedicated professionals who are dedicated to our National Security mission. It was clear to me that what we needed to tackle what was wrong, the ingredients and commit work were there to evolve what was right. We have come a long way in a short time. We have determined root causes of the testing failures, we have retrained our workforce, we have established the first ever fulltime tsa academy, we have begun a deep examination of processes and practices across the agency. There are challenges we must continue to address both immediate and longerterm, i can assure you that we are focused on our Counterterrorism Mission and committed to delivering excellence in every aspect of what we do. As as a member of a much larger terrorism Counterterrorism Network we work on deterring and detecting potential enemies. We screen on average 2,000,000 passengers each day at nearly 440 airports. To improve we are investing heavily in our workforce, all of our people are being trained with a better understanding of why we do what we do and the nature of the threats that we face. We have shifted our focus to Security Effectiveness and institute a comprehensive at that new tsa academy at the federal law forcing Training Center in georgia. The academy has held the connection to our mission, and hence were out, ensure our employees understand their role in fighting terrorism. Recent attacks remind us that terrorist organizations remain committed to attacking the Global Transportation system. At present we have no specific, credible intelligence to conduct similar attack in