The Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that the federal government can provide only limited help to states and local governments to protect transit systems from terrorist attacks. As a result, Michael Chertoff told the Associated Press, those non-federal officials must cover most costs of improved subway, train and bus security.
Chertoff’s remarks, made one week after bombs killed more than 50 people in London on subway and bus systems, drew fire from Democratic U.S. senators who represent metropolitan areas with heavily used transit systems.
Chertoff said attacks that could produce many casualties are his highest priority. Continued U.S. security support for commercial airlines makes sense because the aviation system is largely a federal responsibility, while mass transit systems are mostly owned and operated by state and local authorities.
“The truth of the matter is, a fully loaded airplane with jet fuel, a commercial airliner, has the capacity to kill 3,000 people,” Chertoff said. “A bomb in a subway car may kill 30 people. When you start to think about your priorities, you’re going to think about making sure you don’t have a catastrophic thing first.”
Senators were outraged at the secretary’s comments.
“To say that the federal government has much less of a responsibility for mass transit systems because only 30 people might be killed on a subway bombing is one of the most appalling things that we’ve heard from any government official from any party in a long time,” said Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.)
Chertoff later clarified his initial remark. “We have an equal responsibility to protect Americans across the board,” he said. “We have to be partners with everybody but we have to recognize there are differences in the way we apply our partnership.”
Transit industry representatives have put the cost of technology to protect mass transit systems in the nation’s 30 largest metropolitan areas at about $6 billion.
