President Donald Trump is taking aim at the Transportation Security Administration, proposing a partial privatization of airport security alongside funding cuts. It is an idea that has surfaced before, but this time it comes amid lingering operational chaos, staffing shortages, and renewed questions about whether TSA is actually making us safer.
The plan would cut TSA funding by $52 million and require smaller airports to enroll in the Screening Partnership Program, which allows private companies, paid by TSA, to handle passenger screening. The White House argues this would “yield cost savings compared to Federal screening” while beginning reform of what it characterizes as a troubled agency.
A limited number of U.S. airports already use private screeners, including San Francisco International Airport (SFO), and the administration points to those as proof the model can work. But this proposal comes at a fraught moment. Recent funding disruptions left TSA agents unpaid for weeks, triggering mass absenteeism, long lines, and over 500 officers quitting outright.
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