Oppose TSA Privatization in the 2027 Budget

Vote against any provision in the 2027 budget that privatizes TSA airport security screening. Traveler safety should not be a for-profit business. Before September 11, 2001, all US airport security was operated by private companies. That system failed catastrophically. Creating a federal workforce with standardized training and oversight was the direct response to that failure. Now the administration wants to reverse course by requiring small airports to use private screeners and expanding the Screening Partnership Program, claiming it will save $52 million. That's a reckless gamble with public safety. Private contractors award security jobs to the lowest bidder. They decide staffing levels and pay rates based on profit margins, not security needs. This creates staff shortages and puts corporate earnings ahead of passenger protection. Johnny Jones of AFGE TSA Council 100 put it plainly: privatization "has nothing to do with your security or your safety. It has everything to do with somebody making a profit." The recent government shutdown exposed TSA funding problems, not a need for privatization. The solution is reliable funding and fair pay for federal screeners, not handing airport security to private companies chasing profit margins. Reject this dangerous proposal.