Senator Charles Schumer held a press conference on Sunday in response to ABC's expose on the TSA's alien flight school program, calling the TSA's enforcement capabilities "spotty and inadequate." The New York Senator urged an immediate audit of the agency's effectiveness in conducting Congressionally-mandated background checks on foreign nationals who want to train as pilots.

"If there was ever a place for TSA to focus its efforts and beef up security, this one should be a no-brainer," Schumer said. "It is simply unbelievable that TSA would look the other way on the gaping security loophole that led directly to the 9/11 attacks."  

The ABC News piece says 8,000 foreign nationals have trained in U.S. flight schools without proper vetting. ABC cites former TSA officials as well as former FAA inspectors as sources. The internal memos it posts on its website paint an unsettling portrait of a a few USG officials trying to sound the alarm but their concerns fall on deaf ears.

TSA responded by saying only 857 foreign students slipped though the cracks.

Question: How many foreign nationals does it take to fly planes into buildings? 

Answer: 19. 

Will the rest of Congress do the math?

New York Post: Flight Schools Security Crash

Associated Press:Schumer alleges Laxity in Flight Schools' Security. 

(photo credit: Senator Charles Schumer (D-New York) 

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