Bill Introduced To Abolish TSA, Privatize Airport Security

Two Republican Senators have just introduced legislation that would greatly change our airport security screening process…

Abolish the TSA Act aims to privatize airport security

Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) and Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) have introduced the Abolish the TSA Act, which would eliminate the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). As it’s described, this would “dissolve the bloated and ineffective” organization, while “allowing America’s airports to compete to provide the safest, most efficient, and least intrusive security measures, under a new Office of Aviation Security Oversight.”

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If this were to be passed, within 90 days of enforcement, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of Transportation, would submit a reorganization plan to Congress that includes:

• Creation of the Office of Aviation Security Oversight within the FAA, solely responsible for overseeing the privatization of aviation security screening
• Rapid transfer of security activities and equipment to qualified private companies
• Transfer of non-aviation security functions to DOT (mass transit, freight rail, pipelines, etc.)
• Proportional reductions of TSA operations and personnel to facilitate transfer of duties

The reorganization plan can’t include requirements for private security companies to “conduct warrantless searches and seizures or extend the TSA’s existence.” There would be a three year transition period, to fully privatize airport screening.

Here’s how Senator Lee describes this:

“The TSA has not only intruded into the privacy and personal space of most Americans, it has also repeatedly failed tests to find weapons and explosives. Our bill privatizes security functions at American airports under the eye of an Office of Aviation Security Oversight, bringing this bureaucratic behemoth to a welcome end. American families can travel safely without feeling the hands of an army of federal employees.”

Here’s how Senator Tuberville describes this:

“The TSA is an inefficient, bureaucratic mess that infringes on Americans’ freedoms. It’s a bloated agency—riddled with waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars—that has led to unnecessary delays, invasive pat downs and bag checks, and frustration for travelers. We need to focus on more efficient and effective methods to protect our country without sacrificing the liberties and freedoms of American citizens. The TSA should be eliminated and replaced with privatized solutions that are more targeted, streamlined, and where appropriate, accountable to limited government oversight.”

This is only the latest bad news for the TSA, as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently announced it would abolish the TSA’s unions.

Only time will tell what level of support this measure will have in Congress. It’s unlikely this would be able to overcome the legislative filibuster’s 60-vote threshold, as there are 53 Republican Senators, and I can’t imagine this will get much support from Democrats. As a reminder, the TSA was created in 2001, following the 9/11 attacks, with support from President George W. Bush. Prior to that, airport security had been privatized.

I mean, what can I really say here?

It seems there are two main claims about the TSA, which are being pushed to justify abolishing it:

• The TSA is “bloated and ineffective,” with “an army of federal employees”
• The TSA “infringes on Americans’ freedoms,” with “invasive pat downs and bag checks,” and we’re “sacrificing the liberties and freedoms of American citizens”

Look, there’s nothing inherently wrong with privatizing airport security. As an example, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) uses private contractors for its security screening operations, as part of the TSA’s Screening Partnership Program (SPP). However, there are a few things I’m skeptical about.

First of all, the issue with privatizing things is that the government wants companies to compete for these contracts. Okay, great, that’s fine. The thing is, we all know how capitalism works. It’s all about short term gains, so do you really think a private company will have the proper long term staffing levels, especially if it comes at the expense of margins?

Like, coming out of the pandemic, look at how well the TSA was staffed, compared to your local private business (whether it’s a hotel or restaurant)? Being short staffed is probably more “efficient” (for a company’s bottom line), but it’s not exactly helpful for the public, and I think we prefer a more “bloated” organization, in that sense.

Beyond that:

• I don’t really understand the attack on “invasive pat downs and bag checks,” so do these politicians not want pat downs to be performed and bags to be checked, or what?
• What makes this entire push for “government efficiency” so inefficient (to me) is that over time we see administration changes, and when we’re talking about projects that span many years, you know so many of these changes will eventually be overturned

Bottom line

Two Republican Senators have introduced legislation to abolish the TSA. They argue that the TSA is inefficient, bloated, and infringes on the rights of Americans. So they propose privatizing security. We’ll see if anything comes of this…

What do you make of this legislation to abolish the TSA?