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 agency and privatize airport security, returning to a pre-9/11 model.
Security experts overwhelmingly oppose this proposal, arguing that the pre-9/11 privatized system was ineffective, characterized by low pay, high turnover, and a lack of unified standards, which failed to prevent the 9/11 attacks.
Experts highlight the significant advancements made by the TSA since its creation, including the success of TSA PreCheck and substantial investments in advanced screening technologies and intelligence-driven risk mitigation, which they warn would be lost with privatization.

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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.