A whistleblower at the Transportation Security Administration told CNN this week that officials have prioritized speed over security in U.S. airports, putting American passengers at risk. Jay Brainard, the highest-ranking TSA official in Kansas, said officials at the agency have diminished the sensitivity of metal detectors and disabled technology on some X-ray machines. Brainard said authorities have also issued orders to keep the baggage conveyor belts moving in certain circumstances and instituted policy changes that result in fewer pat-downs. Brainard said he notified the top officials at the agency and other federal regulatory bodies—which were established by Congress after terrorists slipped through airport security to conduct the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and kill nearly 3,000 people—but that little is being done to bolster the security measures. “My biggest fear is having something happen that costs American lives, and I didn’t step up and put a stop to it,” he told CNN. “It’s not a question of if, it's a question of when. We are long overdue for an attack.”