Broun said the TSA has seen a 400 percent increase in staff since it was established, many of whom are based in the TSA's headquarters earning six-figure salaries. He said despite this increase in staff, many security breaches still occur.



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"We have evidence today that terrorists on the no-fly list still have been able to board U.S. aircraft," he said during debate.In addition, Broun said the agency has shown a lack of professionalism, and many workers have been known to steal things from travelers and harass them as they wait for flights."Just about the only thing that the TSA is consistently good at is using its extensive power to violate American travelers' civil liberties," he said.But Broun's proposal stood little chance of being accepted, given opposition from both Democrats and Republicans."This amendment is unnecessary and harmful to national security in my opinion," Rep. John Carter (R-Texas) said."Am I happy with TSA? No," Carter added. "Most people who travel have some criticism with TSA. But zeroing out TSA and leaving our airports unsecure is not the the solution to the problem."After Carter's remarks, the House quickly voted down the amendment by voice vote. The House was working on amendments to the DHS spending bill all day Wednesday, and was expected to pass the bill on Thursday.

In other votes, the House accepted an amendment by voice vote from Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) that would reallocate $31.8 million from the TSA administrative budget to the private Screening Partnership program.



Another amendment from Mica, moving $23.3 million from TSA administration to Transportation Security Support, was withdrawn.



— This story was updated at 4:34 p.m.

