TSA Workers Fight for Pay and Power as Airports Consider Private Screening

The House Committee on Homeland Security held a hearing to discuss how the Transportation Security Administration can keep up with modern technology and secure funding. The discussion came after TSA officers faced three unpaid periods since October 1, leaving them without wages for nearly 40 % of the fiscal year while still guarding airports. Chairman Andrew Garbarino highlighted that TSA staff endured 119 days of shutdown conditions between 2025 and 2026. He argued that paying officers during such times is essential to maintain the nation’s safety. Republican and Democratic members agreed that Congress has not passed bills guaranteeing pay for TSA workers during shutdowns. Representative Lou Correa criticized President Trump’s budget, which would let private companies screen passengers at around 250 airports and cut more than 4, 500 TSA jobs to save $529. 3 million. The budget also allows contractors in the Screening Partnership Program (SPP) to buy and maintain screening equipment, a role previously handled by the government. Correa warned that technology alone cannot replace experienced officers and accused the plan of pushing an anti‑government privatization agenda.About 20 U. S. airports already use the SPP, giving them a choice to participate. Trump’s proposal would force smaller airports into the program. Witnesses at the hearing—Christopher Sununu of Airlines for America, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport CEO Chris McLaughlin, and American Federation of Government Employees President Everett Kelley—argued that airports should decide whether to hire private screeners. Sununu said preserving the optional nature of the SPP is crucial for the aviation industry. Kelley sharply opposed privatization, saying, “I’m totally against the privatization of any airport. ” He compared it to contracting out intelligence agencies. Some Democrats feared that outsourcing could weaken U. S. airspace security. Chairman Garbarino countered by noting that cities like San Francisco, Seattle, and Atlanta already use private screeners, suggesting the issue is not purely partisan. The hearing underscored a clash between ensuring TSA workers are paid and protected, and the push to modernize airport security through private partnerships.