To many travelers, waiting in the security line is by far one of the worst things about flying. As much as we can handle the shrinking airplane seats, paying through the nose for bags, and the disappearing perks that airlines used to offer but don’t anymore, standing in lines (sometimes for hours) to get screened by the TSA is one of the major reasons why flying can be stressful. But does that mean we need to fully abolish the TSA? Two Republican Senators are proposing a new bill that could do just that, claiming that the government agency is overfunded and inefficient.
Even though the TSA was created under the Republican Bush administration after 9/11, Republican Senators Mike Lee (Utah) and Tommy Tuberville (Alabama) proposed the Abolish TSA Act on March 27, according to Fox News. The main reasoning for the act, according to these senators, is largely based on a 2017 study (via Forbes) that involved undercover investigators sneaking in fake weapons as a sort of efficiency test for the agency. The study concluded that the TSA actually missed 70% of the fake weapons during screening (however, there has been some debate over the exact percentage, and the number appears to be better than previous years, according to Forbes).
Still, Senator Tuberville said in a statement about the bill, “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,” according to Fox News. Here’s what the bill proposes.
If passed, the Abolish TSA Act would replace the TSA with private security
The likelihood and ramifications of abolishing the TSA
Many passengers complain about the frustrating inconsistencies when dealing with the TSA, but that is likely not going to go away if security were to be transferred to a private company. Although the bill is not likely to pass through a committee (as about 90% of bills do), experts also warn that abolishing the TSA will not make travel any safer and would, in fact, be a slippery slope. Former TSA administrator under President Barack Obama, John Pistole, told Flying Magazine, “Security is an inherently government function, and if you take this idea to the logical extreme, then who needs a Secret Service, or who needs a government Department of Defense or Customs and Border Protection?”
But airport security is currently not only done through the TSA. In fact, the agency has several airports that use private security contracts through its Screening Partnership Program. Airports that use private companies include Orlando Sanford International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, and Jackson Hole Airport –– totaling about 20 airports in the United States. In his interview with Flying Magazine, Jeffrey Price, former assistant director of airport security at Denver International Airport (DEN), also warned that private security contracts are competitive, meaning the companies that will win these contracts are more likely to be the ones pitching the lowest cost to airports, not necessarily the best possible security standards and protocols.
Pistole also echoed this sentiment. It’s possible that employees for private firms would not be compensated as current TSA agents and may not be held to the same standards. “If you hire a brand new workforce, they’re going to miss things at a much higher rate than TSA employees are, because they don’t have the background, training, or experience,” Pistole told Flying Magazine. Regardless of whether it’s a government agency or some private company that screens you, here are a few tips to avoid getting flagged by the TSA.
