Airport security is a high priority — unless it’s expensive and inconvenient

Just yesterday, in that excellent report on administration propaganda, we learned that one of the many fake news segments focused on the Bush administration’s “drive to strengthen aviation security.” Americans were told the administration’s drive in this area is “one of the most remarkable campaigns in aviation history.”

Of course, as the NYT explained, the “reporter” covering airport safety was actually a public relations professional working under a false name for the Transportation Security Administration, a fact that viewers were not made aware of.

But fraud aside, what about the substance of the claim? Is the administration really doing all it can to improve airport security? As the Progress Report noted today, not so much.

Airports are pushing the federal government to spend $5 billion on a new luggage screening system that could more accurately check for bombs, speed up passenger lines and save taxpayers billions of dollars.

But the Bush administration has cut back drastically on funding the new system. It says airports should pay for it themselves. More than 50 airports want to install the new equipment but haven’t received federal money, even though a government audit says the system could pay for itself in just over a year.

This comes after word that the TSA isn’t doing background checks on airport security personnel and the administration has cut funding for screeners and air marshals.

Feel safer?