I find the resistance of the government members a little strange on this one. Simply put, if you have an individual who is on the no-fly list as a result of this legislation, or in other words, you're worried about potential terrorist activities.... As you know, most areas have police departments not too far away from an airport.
All the airline industry is asking for here is that when they need assistance, they can request that assistance. You have these individuals who are coming up and are told they can't on the flight to where they intended to go. If they're potential terrorists, as the legislation claims, then I certainly think that the government would be suggesting that it would do all it can to assist and to ensure that for regular staffers, who are not trained to defend themselves, there would be a peace officer present. It's a simple enough request.