As another shutdown impacts travelers, some see eliminating TSA agents as a solution

Long security lines snaked into baggage claim areas and parking garages at some U.S. airports this weekend, a possible indicator of more widespread travel problems as the latest government shutdown drags on.

“As another shutdown impacts travelers, some see eliminating TSA agents as a solution As another shutdown impacts travelers, some see eliminating TSA agents as a solution Long security lines snaked into baggage claim areas and parking garages at some U”

Associated Press

That kind of disruption, while not yet widespread, is not a concern that typically surfaces at San Francisco International Airport, the largest of nearly two dozen U.S. airports where screening checkpoints are staffed by private contractors under a little-used federal program that allows airports to outsource security screenings while maintaining TSA oversight.

Associated Press

Because contractors’ pay comes from a federal contract, it often continues even when the government shuts down.

“The money’s already been allocated, the payments have already been made, and that continues without interruption,” SFO spokesperson Doug Yakel told The Associated Press.

The contrast draws attention to a long-running debate in the aviation industry: Can private contractors operating under TSA oversight provide a stopgap — and shield airport security operations from the political impasses that can disrupt U.S. air travel?

TSA’s screening partnership program allows airports to use private security companies chosen by the federal government to run checkpoints while TSA retains authority over procedures and oversight.

The agency says private security screeners receive the same security background check and must meet the same medical requirements as prospective federal security screeners.

Associated Press

In addition to SFO, other participating airports include Kansas City International Airport, Atlantic City International Airport and Orlando Sanford International Airport.

The vast majority of the nation’s roughly 400 commercial airports, meanwhile, rely on federal screening officers employed directly by TSA.

During shutdowns, those workers must continue reporting for duty even though they stop getting paid — a dynamic that has historically led to higher absenteeism and slower-moving checkpoints the longer a shutdown lasts.

The current partial shutdown affects only the Department of Homeland Security, which includes TSA.

Democrats in Congress refused to fund the department over objections to its immigration enforcement tactics.

The lapse marks the third shutdown in less than a year to leave TSA workers temporarily without pay — and once the government reopens, to have to wait for backpay.

Those disruptions can ripple through the travel system, cascading problems across already crowded flight schedules, and the strain is especially acute this time of year as airlines and airports brace for what they expect will be one of the busiest spring break travel seasons on record.

Some aviation experts and Republican lawmakers point to SFO’s experience as evidence that privatized screening can keep checkpoints running with fewer shutdown disruptions.

“As another shutdown impacts travelers, some see eliminating TSA agents as a solution As another shutdown impacts travelers, some see eliminating TSA agents as a solution Long security lines snaked into baggage claim areas and parking garages at some U”

Associated Press

Aviation security expert Sheldon Jacobson said the program’s success at SFO, a large international airport, shows that privatization “is something that needs to be explored,” and he called SFO a “litmus test” that suggests scale should not be a limiting factor.

Republican lawmakers have pushed in recent years to dismantle the agency entirely and replace its screening functions with private contractors overseen by the federal government; last year, two GOP senators introduced the “Abolish TSA Act,” which would phase out the agency and transfer oversight to a new office charged with aviation security.

TSA leadership has signaled an openness to discussion: speaking at a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing last year, Ha Nguyen McNeill, a senior official performing the duties of TSA administrator, said “nothing is off the table” regarding potential privatization.

Industry groups including the U.S. Travel Association, Airlines for America and the American Association of Airport Executives are urging Congress to pass legislation that would ensure aviation workers are paid regardless of the government’s funding status.

“Every time Washington fails to fund the government, these essential workers pay the price. So do travelers. So does the economy,” Geoff Freeman, U.S. Travel Association’s president, said in a statement.

The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents TSA officers, strongly opposes privatization, saying it could weaken accountability for aviation security and erode job protections.

“We will never advocate for any privatization of any federal employees. We don’t believe that’ll work,” Johnny Jones, secretary-treasurer of the TSA union’s bargaining unit, said in a brief phone call this week.

Associated Press

The union warned private companies could face pressure to cut costs in ways that affect training, staffing levels and employee benefits, and said relying on contractors could create inconsistencies between airports if different companies operate checkpoints across the country.

Airline industry analyst Henry Harteveldt said the TSA established “very stringent airport screening security requirements” after the Sept. 11 attacks, which exist to this day, and cautioned that standards must be upheld.

SFO officials said its screening model was adopted more than 20 years ago for reasons unrelated to government shutdowns, but with shutdowns growing longer and more disruptive the airport says its arrangement has revealed an unintended benefit: fewer staffing disruptions at checkpoints.

“The benefits, I think, are compelling,” Harteveldt said.

“The real issue is making sure that any vendor, any partner to the TSA, upholds the strict standards that TSA has established and works with TSA to ensure that screening remains efficient and finds ways to make it even better.”

Associated Press video journalist Haven Daley contributed from San Francisco.