Briefly

Washington, D.C.

Government suspends visa-less arrivals

The government acted Saturday to make American commercial airplanes less vulnerable to terrorists, requiring visas for people from most countries when they travel through the United States from one foreign airport to another.

The government suspended two programs that allowed foreigners to stay in U.S. airports without visas while awaiting flights to other countries.

The State Department said al-Qaida and other terrorism organizations had planned to use the programs to get access to flights to and from the United States.

The lack of screening for visas could have allowed potential terrorists to enter the country without being checked.

Washington, D.C.

Transportation agency under fire for spending

Some in Congress see the Transportation Security Administration as a bloated, unresponsive agency.

Lawmakers from both parties were furious last week when they learned the TSA wanted to trim 20 percent of the funding for the air marshal program — $104 million — to help plug a budget hole.

The timing for the request couldn’t have been worse: It came just before the Homeland Security Department — TSA’s parent agency — warned that al-Qaida might try more suicide hijackings.

The Homeland Security Department’s inspector general is investigating why the TSA paid a contractor to house recruiters at resort hotels featuring golf courses, pools and spas.