Abolish the TSA? ‘Bad Idea,’ Experts Say

Private airport screening services could ‘miss things at a much higher rate’ than TSA screeners, former administrator John Pistole tells FLYING.

Jack Daleo

Tuesday, April 08, 2025 at 10:46 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

A TSA screener checks a passenger’s passport at Baltimore/Washington International Airport. [Courtesy: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

Senators Mike Lee and Tommy Tuberville introduced the "Abolish the TSA Act" to eliminate the Transportation Security Administration and privatize airport security, aiming to return to a pre-9/11 model.
Experts widely oppose this proposal, arguing that reverting to pre-9/11 private security would be a "bad idea" due to its historical failures, such as low-paid screeners, high turnover rates, and airlines lobbying against stronger security measures.
The TSA has made "tremendous strides" since its creation, significantly improving aviation safety, developing successful programs like TSA PreCheck, and investing in advanced screening technologies (e.g., CT scanners, CAT systems), all of which would be challenging for a fragmented private sector to replicate.

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Last month, Senators Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) introduced the Abolish the TSA Act. As its name implies, the bill would eliminate the Transportation Security Administration and privatize airport security under FAA oversight. But experts argue that returning to a pre-9/11 framework is a “bad idea.”

“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?” John Pistole, the president of Anderson University in Indiana who served as TSA administrator under President Barack Obama from 2010 to 2014, told FLYING.