The Trump administration is looking to privatize some elements of the TSA’s airport security screening operations.
In a budget proposal for fiscal year 2027 released on Friday, the White House said it wants to require small airports to enroll in the Screening Partnership Program, which allows qualified private companies to carry out passenger screening instead of TSA officers. Those employees must still adhere to TSA rules and use TSA-approved equipment.
“The airports that already use this program have demonstrated savings compared to federal screening operations,” the proposal stated. “The move would yield cost savings compared to federal screening and begin reform of a troubled federal agency.”
The text did not elaborate on how TSA is allegedly “troubled.”
Airport security has been in the national spotlight over the last several weeks due to the partial government shutdown. TSA officers have been working without pay, and a growing number were calling out of work or quitting the agency to find other jobs before President Donald Trump signed an executive order authorizing backpay. The situation has somewhat stabilized, with call-outs down and security lines moving more quickly, though wait times remain higher than usual at some major airports.
Airports that use private firms for security have not been affected by the partial shutdown, and their screening operations have continued as normal.
According to the TSA, airports currently enrolled in the Screening Partnership Program include San Francisco, Kansas City, Orlando Sanford in Florida, and Atlantic City in New Jersey, among others.
The administration could see partial privatization as a way to lessen the impact of future government shutdowns on commercial air transport.
Inclusion in a White House budget is no guarantee that a policy will become law. Spending plans must be passed by both houses of Congress, then signed by the president.
Passenger screening in the U.S. was handled entirely by private companies up until the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The TSA was created later that year. The Screening Partnership Program restored a small measure of private screening when it was introduced in 2004.
The partial government shutdown has not been resolved, and with Congress on a break, a final settlement may be weeks or even months away. Trump’s order provides backpay for TSA employees, but it is not clear if they will continue to be paid going forward as the partial shutdown continues.
