Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Sen. Mike Lee introduced a bill to abolish the TSA, citing inefficiency.
- The bill proposes replacing TSA with private security under FAA oversight.
- The bill's sponsors argue privatization would enhance efficiency and protect freedoms.
WASHINGTON — Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, is renewing efforts to fully eliminate the Transportation Security Administration, accusing the federal agency of inefficiency and invading travelers' privacy.
Lee, along with Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., introduced the Abolish the TSA Act on Thursday, which would dissolve the TSA and establish a separate Office of Aviation Security Oversight to manage airport security. The office would operate completely under the Federal Aviation Administration and transfer security activities and equipment to private companies instead.
"The TSA has not only intruded into the privacy and personal space of most Americans, it has also repeatedly failed tests to find weapons and explosives," Lee said in a statement. "Our bill privatizes security functions at American airports under the eye of an Office of Aviation Security Oversight, bringing this bureaucratic behemoth to a welcome end. American families can travel safely without feeling the hands of an army of federal employees."
If passed, the legislation would require the Department of Homeland Security secretary to consult with the Transportation secretary to draft a reorganization plan and submit it to Congress for review.
The plan must include details about how the Office of Aviation Security Oversight would operate and lay the groundwork for the privatization of airport security. The plan must also detail the transfer of nonaviation security functions to the Department of Transportation, such as mass transit, freight rail, pipelines, and more.
Additionally, the report must propose reductions of TSA operations and personnel to facilitate transfer of duties.
The report must be submitted to Congress within 90 days of enactment.
While compiling details, the report must not contain requirements for private security companies to conduct warrantless searches or extend the TSA's existence, according to the legislation. However, the bill does allow for lawmakers to consider amendments to the reorganization plan.
"The TSA is an inefficient, bureaucratic mess that infringes on Americans' freedoms," Tuberville said in a statement. "It's a bloated agency — riddled with waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars — that has led to unnecessary delays, invasive pat downs and bag checks, and frustration for travelers. We need to focus on more efficient and effective methods to protect our country without sacrificing the liberties and freedoms of American citizens."
The senators argue TSA is "not equipped" to manage fast-moving threats posed to aviation transportation, claiming the agency has become oversized into a "bureaucratic leviathan."
The pair cited a 2015 report that found TSA agents missed 95% of mock explosive and banned weapons during checkpoint screenings and that agents failed 67 out of 70 tests conducted by undercover investigators.
Instead, the senators say that a switch to private security with limited government oversight would increase efficiency and safety, pointing to a high percentage of European airports that utilize privatized security screenings.
The TSA was first established in November 2001 in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The organization operates under the Department of Homeland Security, putting it under the purview of the federal government.
Under TSA guidelines, travelers may be subject to a pat-down if the screening technology is set off, which includes "inspection of the head, neck, arms, torso, legs, and feet." That inspection may also include sensitive areas, according to the TSA website.
Lee has repeatedly criticized those practices, calling them "needlessly slow" and invasive.
The Deseret News contacted the TSA for comment.
