Trump unveils plan to privatize TSA in major shift at US airports

President Donald Trump wants to begin privatizing airport security operations handled by the Transportation Security Administration in an effort to save money.

The White House budget, unveiled Friday, proposes cutting funding for the federal agency 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 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 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.