Schumer urges DHS to reinstate Aviation Security Advisory Committee
Joe Zhao | Design Editor
Schumer said the gutting of the committee was an insult to the victims of the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing, which included 35 Syracuse University students. ASAC was first mandated in 1988 in response to the tragedy.
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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer issued a letter on Tuesday urging the United States Department of Homeland Security to reinstate the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, a congressionally mandated entity that had historically served to strengthen air travel security.
Shortly after his inauguration, President Donald Trump shut down ASAC and various other DHS committees with little explanation.
A week and a half later, an American Airlines plane collided with an Army helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C., killing 67 in the deadliest air accident above U.S. soil since 2009. Christine Lane, an SU alum, was among the crash’s victims.
Schumer’s letter to newly confirmed DHS Secretary Kristi Noem urges the department to return committee members to their positions. While acknowledging the work of ASAC, Schumer also said the dismantling of the committee was “insulting” to the 259 victims of the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing, which included 35 Syracuse University students. The committee was organized in response to the 1988 bombing.
In the 35 years since the tragedy, the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Aviation Administration have adopted 95% of ASAC safety recommendations, according to Schumer’s letter.
“For decades, nonpartisan members of the Committee, including family members of the victims of Pan Am Flight 103, have made life-saving recommendations to the federal government to enhance aviation security,” Schumer wrote. “Now all that work will cease. It makes absolutely no sense. The Department of Homeland Security needs to immediately right this wrong.”
In the letter, Schumer claimed DHS views the committee as a “misuse of resources.” A spokesperson for Schumer confirmed to The Daily Orange that as of Tuesday afternoon, Noem had not responded to the letter, and said DHS is yet to explain its decision.
The senator also alleged the committee’s disbandment is illegal, pointing out that DHS does not have jurisdiction over the committee, as it was initially mandated by Congress — not the executive branch.
“It is no question that since ASAC’s inception, … our skies have gotten safer and more secure,” Schumer wrote in the letter. “Effectively shutting down ASAC by removing all of its members clearly avoids congressional intent of mandating this permanent committee.”
While DHS hasn’t publicly commented on the committee, ASAC’s dissolution is consistent with the Trump administration’s defunding of other government organizations. On Tuesday afternoon, Trump confirmed he is working to shutter the Department of Education.
Published on February 4, 2025 at 10:33 pm
Contact Duncan: digreen@syr.edu
