Trump proposes to begin privatizing TSA screening operations
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An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent assists Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers as passengers are screened at a checkpoint at Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in Carolina, Puerto Rico, March 27, 2026. REUTERS/Ricardo
WASHINGTON, April 3 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Friday proposed to begin privatizing airport security operations handled by the Transportation Security Administration, in an effort to save money.
The White House budget proposes cutting funding for the federal agency created after the September 11, 2001 attacks by $52 million and would require small airports to enroll in a program in which TSA pays for private screeners.
TSA has about 50,000 federal employees who handle screening at nearly all U.S. airports.
Budget documents released on Friday said airports currently using the privatization program have demonstrated savings compared to federal screening operations.
In recent weeks, major U.S. airports suffered massive disruptions after TSA security officers went unpaid since mid-February after funding for the workers was halted in a budget dispute. The standoff in Congress led to daily absences of 10% or more of TSA workers and brought chaos and long security lines to U.S. airports. The agency said on Monday the absence rate fell to 8.6% after the security officers were finally paid.
Privatization could help remove TSA from congressional funding fights.
Still, cuts to the airport security agency would come at a critical time for air travel with rising concerns about air safety after more than 500 TSA officers quit in recent weeks and amid a longstanding shortage of air traffic controllers. Trump's budget included money to hire more controllers.
Trump has been critical of the TSA. He fired its head, David Pekoske, on his first day in office and has never nominated a replacement. Last year, the White House said it wanted funding cut for the TSA by $247 million, saying the "TSA has consistently failed audits while implementing intrusive screening measures that violate Americans’ privacy and dignity".
That budget reduction represented about a 3-4% cut to the TSA staffing levels - with half for staff at exit lanes and the remaining cut of 2% of transportation security officers spread across 435 airports.
The Biden administration had increased the size of the TSA, which has nearly 60,000 employees, as air travel has increased in recent years. The TSA screened 904 million passengers in 2024, which was a record high and a 5% increase over 2023.
(Reporting by David Shepardson and Chris Sanders in Washington; Editing by Michelle Nichols and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
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