Why it matters: The House Homeland Security Committee convened a hearing on TSA modernization on May 20, 2026, as the agency approaches its 25th anniversary. The central tension was immediate: Democrats accused the Trump administration of deliberately dismantling TSA through shutdowns, privatization proposals, and stripped collective bargaining rights, while Republicans pushed for technology investment and framed the shutdowns as a Democratic failure. The administration's proposed fiscal year 2027 budget, which would cut $529 million in TSA personnel funding and eliminate 8,400 positions, hung over every exchange.

The big picture: TSA officers worked 119 days without pay across two shutdowns in fiscal year 2025 and 2026, roughly 40 Percent of the fiscal year. Thousands of officers quit. The hearing, called by Rep. Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY-2), was framed as a modernization review ahead of the World Cup and the 2028 Olympics, two events expected to bring massive passenger surges. The bipartisan Safeguards Act, introduced by Rep. Dale Strong and co-led by Rep. Timothy Kennedy, anchored the policy agenda. The bill would end the annual diversion of roughly $1.6 billion in post-9/11 passenger security fees toward debt reduction and redirect that funding to screening technology. Democrats also pressed the TSA Workforce Act, which would extend full collective bargaining rights to TSOs. A federal court previously blocked the administration's attempt to rescind existing collective bargaining agreements, and the administration was reported to have defied that order.

What they're saying:

McLaughlin's blunt assessment landed in the middle of a heated back-and-forth over shutdown responsibility. Rep. Troy A. Carter (D-LA-2) fired at Republicans for praising TSA workers while voting against a pay raise for them. Garbarino shot back that committee Republicans voted four times to reopen the government. Rep. Delia C. Ramirez (D-IL-3) charged that 400 TSA workers quit during the most recent shutdown, and accused the administration of deploying paid ICE agents to airports while TSOs worked for free. Kelley said he could not confirm whether TSO officers stayed home due to ICE's presence. Rep. Gabe Evans (R-CO-8) pushed back directly, calling the shutdowns "Democrat-led" and citing specific House bill vote tallies.

Political stakes: The hearing put the administration's fiscal year 2027 budget proposal in the crosshairs. Democrats repeatedly cited the proposal to eliminate 8,400 TSO positions and mandate private screening at roughly 250 small airports. Kelley testified that TSA morale is "at record low" and that attrition, which had been cut by half after a collective bargaining agreement was reached, has surged again. Sununu warned that TSA's technology modernization timeline is currently on pace for 2042 or 2043, citing the acting TSA administrator's own assessment. DFW's McLaughlin disclosed that his airport is spending more than $50 million of its own capital on screening technology, costs that will ultimately be passed to airlines and consumers who already pay the security fee.

The other side: Sununu, representing the airline industry, declined to take a position on privatization, noting that airports with private screening contractors under the Screening Partnership Program reported higher morale during the shutdown because those workers kept getting paid. He argued that every congressional vote against funding TSA was an unintentional advertisement for the private side. Garbarino noted that San Francisco, Seattle, and Atlanta, hardly conservative cities, have opted into or considered private screening, complicating the Democratic argument that privatization is purely an ideological Republican project.

What's next: The Safeguards Act is pending committee consideration. Rep. Nellie Pou (D-NJ-9) announced legislation to set a $40,000 minimum base pay for TSA personnel, guarantee pay during shutdowns, and provide a one-time $10,000 bonus. Rep. Sheri Biggs (R-SC-3) said she will introduce the Improving Travel for Military Members Act to create dedicated screening lanes at airports near military installations. Rep. Al Green (D-TX-9) announced plans to file the Fair Pay Act, which would require time-and-a-half pay for any hours worked during a shutdown. The One-Stop Security pilot program, currently limited to Heathrow flights at DFW and Atlanta, is set to expire in 2028 without congressional action to make it permanent.

The bottom line: Nearly 25 years after 9/11 created TSA, Congress still cannot agree on how much to pay the people running airport security, let alone modernize the technology they use.

Access the Legis1 platform for comprehensive political news, data, and insights.