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 under FAA oversight.
Aviation security experts overwhelmingly oppose this bill, arguing that returning to a pre-9/11 private security model would reintroduce critical vulnerabilities, such as underpaid staff, high turnover, a lack of intelligence sharing, and inadequate oversight.
Experts emphasize the significant strides made by the TSA since its inception, including successful programs like TSA PreCheck and substantial investments in advanced screening technologies, which they believe private contractors cannot effectively replicate, making the TSA crucial for national air system protection.

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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.