Overview
- The administration proposes a $11.7 billion TSA budget that would eliminate almost 8,400 positions and about 9,400 full‑time equivalents, according to DHS budget documents.
- Smaller airports would be steered into TSA’s Screening Partnership Program, which uses private contractors for checkpoint screening and which OMB says has shown cost savings at roughly 20 participating airports.
- More than 800 exit‑lane posts would be reassigned or cut, with projected savings of $97.3 million, and the plan trims 2,462 front‑line Transportation Security Officer positions.
- The request pairs cuts with $225.9 million for new computed‑tomography scanners, $48.1 million to replace outdated systems, and $20 million for e‑Gates to speed and automate ID checks.
- Unions and some lawmakers warn contractor‑run checkpoints could weaken security and worsen turnover, and Congress plans hearings later this month following a funding lapse that left officers unpaid, drove high call‑outs, and led more than 500 to quit.