Could TSA be privatized? What it could mean for travelers.
"I think ... the North Star for us at TSA is making sure that we are driving the highest level of security, the best passenger experience in the most efficient way possible," McNeill told lawmakers during the May 20 hearing. "And so if new privatization schemes make sense, then we're happy to have that discussion to see what we can come up with."
She added that some airports could choose to privatize while others don't. "It's not an all-or-nothing game," she said.
What would it mean if the TSA privatized?
The possibility of privatizing TSA has been a divisive idea. The public agency was "created specifically in response to the failures of the private airport screening model to stop" the terrorist attacks on 9/11, said Scott Keyes, founder of Going.
"Proponents of privatizing TSA argue that doing so would save money (especially in smaller airports), allow for more accountability of errant workers, and bring the U.S. in line with many other countries that have privatized some or all of their airport screeners," he told USA TODAY in an email.
McNeill noted that privatization "has always been a part of the TSA construct since its inception under the Screening Partnership Program," which contracts with private companies for security screening at commercial airports. According to the TSA's website, 21 airports participate in the SPP.
While Keyes said there has not yet been a "serious push" to privatize the agency, other types of privatization in aviation aren't totally unheard-of. In many countries, including Canada, air traffic control is fully privatized. Even in the U.S., some smaller air traffic control facilities are contracted out to private operators that partner with the Federal Aviation Administration.
There have long been calls to fully privatize the FAA's air traffic control organization, though none of those proposals have been adopted.
What are the risks of privatizing TSA?
Keyes said opponents of the idea "point to safety and workers' rights."
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents around 47,000 TSA Transportation Security Officers, has said that privatizing screening could compromise security and result in high employee turnover, as was commonly seen prior to 9/11.
Keyes also noted that the cost savings would be partly achieved by paying private screeners lower wages than TSA officers make now.
TSA did not immediately share a comment on the concerns prior to publishing.
Escobar also pushed back on the idea during the hearing, which she noted was mentioned in Project 2025. President Donald Trump distanced himself from the conservative policy blueprint while campaigning, but many of his moves have closely aligned with it since taking office.
"I definitely would call (privatization) a 'scheme' as well," she told McNeill. "I hope that privatization is not a part of the administration's efforts."
The Department of Homeland Security announced it was ending collective bargaining for TSOs in March, arguing the move would "enhance productivity and resiliency" and make the workforce more agile, among other benefits. AFGE sued the Trump administration following the decision.
"This attack on our members is not just an attack on AFGE or transportation security officers. It's an assault on the rights of every American worker," AFGE President Everett Kelley said in a news release at the time. "Tearing up a legally negotiated union contract is unconstitutional, retaliatory, and will make the TSA experience worse for American travelers."
McNeill said during the hearing that the committee, Congress and stakeholders have a say as officials "look to modernize TSA."
Keyes believes "it's still quite unlikely we'll see the Trump Administration privatize the TSA, given the extreme political risk if another terrorist attack were to occur."
"But given what we've seen from DOGE and the White House this year," he continued, "it's fair to say that the chances of privatization have never been higher."
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Scottish Sun
13 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Brits among 9,000 migrants to be sent to Guantanamo in Trump plan to make notorious terror prison a vast detention site
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The Herald Scotland
16 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
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The Herald Scotland
16 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Trump wants 20,000 National Guardsmen to hunt, transport immigrants
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At Fort Bliss in Texas, the Army has a facility holding about 100 immigrants in a detention facility. A larger facility is being built there to house as many as 5,000 people, according to a U.S. official briefed on the operation but not authorized to speak publicly. Other bases under consideration to detain immigrants include Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey, Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, Travis Air Force Base and Camp Parks in California, Fort Walker in Virginia and Camp Atterbury in Indiana. Officials visited those bases months ago, but it's unclear if any have been selected to receive detainees, the Defense official said. The location of some of the bases near major metropolitan areas like New York City and San Francisco indicates that immigration sweeps like the one in Los Angeles could take place there, too, the official said. Separately, the request from Homeland Security calls for up to 21,000 National Guard troops whose "support will encompass both non-law enforcement support functions and sworn law enforcement activities." There are thousands of National Guard and active-duty troops at the southern border. However, a memo reviewed by USA TODAY acknowledges that it is the first formal request by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to deploy national staff "in support of interior immigration enforcement operations." ICE is carrying out a directive from Trump to find immigrants living in the United States without legal status. Protests have sprung up against the sweeps the agency is carrying out in various neighborhoods. 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The request seeks troops to aid immigration enforcement in five areas, including "Attempt to Locate" - Fugitives. Homeland Security is seeking as many as 3,500 Guardsmen for investigative units, surveillance and "Night operations and rural interdiction." The largest ask for troops falls in the category of "Transportation Support," with as many as 10,000 troops needed. These personnel would help transport detainees and "unaccompanied alien children." The request also seeks buses, vans and aircraft. As many 2,500 troops fall under the request for help in "Detention Support." These Guardsmen would support "overwhelmed detention facilities." Among their expected duties: "riot control." Other troops are being sought for search and rescue, medical units and public affairs to manage "public information during high-visibility operations." The deployment of thousands of additional National Guard troops in immigration enforcement could affect the public's perception of the military, said Lindsay Cohn, a political scientist and expert on the domestic use of the military. Cohn is also an associate professor at the U.S. Naval War College, but spoke about this issue in a personal capacity and not as a representative of the college or federal government. Homeland Security can justify the request by arguing it lacks the manpower to conduct the sweeps, Cohn said. But raids on schools and businesses are unpopular with the American public. Also, how troops conduct themselves matters a great deal for public perception and confidence, she said. If they behave with restraint, Cohn said, they may be able to maintain an appearance of not "taking sides." However, given that many in law enforcement personnel dress in military-like uniforms, the public may not differentiate between troops and law enforcement.
