But DHS disagreed with the GAO’s recommendation that the TSA administrator “limit future funding support for the agency’s behavior detection activities until TSA can provide scientifically validated evidence.”
In its response within the report, DHS faulted both the GAO’s findings related to the 2011 SPOT validation study, saying its use of different statistical techniques resulted in “misleading” conclusions, and that its review of the research literature omitted some studies that supported the use of behavior detection.
So DHS has yet to provide supporting, scientifically valid studies in response to the
2011 GAO report? What have they been waiting for? Oh, right: Congress has been funding SPOT anyway...
And someone from Congress finally read the 2011 GAO report? Why do we even have a GAO if Congress more or less ignores it?
I have to put the blame on Congress here for once again failing to make responsible use of taxpayer dollars. SPOT should have been validated before $1B was allocated to implementing it nationwide, and SPOT in its current form should certainly not have continued receiving funds after the 2011 GAO report was released.