These details were included in a budget proposal for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the TSA, as part of the White House’s budget plan for the upcoming fiscal year.
Congress is set to hold hearings on the White House budget request later this month, as lawmakers strive to finalize a new budget agreement before the fiscal year concludes on September 30. Some Republican members have advocated for the complete privatization of the TSA.
The budget details do not relate to the ongoing funding stalemate in Congress concerning DHS for the current year, which has led to airport delays while TSA workers have been unpaid.
On Friday, President Donald Trump proposed that smaller airports be required to utilize private security measures instead of the TSA as an initial step toward privatizing the agency established after the September 11, 2001, attacks. According to the White House, this change could reduce the TSA workforce by more than 4,500 jobs. The TSA is also looking to cut an additional 4,800 positions through efficiency improvements, ceasing staffing at exit lanes, and eliminating redundancies.
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The proposed employee reductions would save over $500 million.
The union representing TSA security officers, the American Federation of Government Employees, opposes privatization, arguing it would compromise air travel safety.
This proposal aims to reduce the agency’s $7.8 billion budget by roughly 20% after the TSA lost more than 1,600 workers during funding disruptions last fall and this spring. Approximately 50,000 security screeners at US airports are TSA employees.
Trump has criticized the TSA and dismissed its leader, David Pekoske, on his first day in office in 2025, without nominating a replacement since then.
Last year, the White House stated, “TSA has consistently failed audits while implementing intrusive screening measures that violate Americans’ privacy and dignity.”
The Biden administration expanded the TSA’s capacity. In 2024, the TSA screened 904 million passengers, a record high and a 5% increase from 2023.
Recent security delays at airports have created operational challenges for airlines such as American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and others.
(Edited by : Juviraj Anchil)
