Further privatizing Transportation Security Administration screening functions could be a way to prevent travel disruptions in the future, TSA's deputy administrator suggested in a hearing before Congress.
Ha Nguyen McNeill's statement came during an April 16 hearing of the House Appropriations Committee related to the ongoing shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. During the shutdown, TSA officers and other DHS employees missed multiple paychecks before the Trump administration gave them back pay through an executive order.
"As of today, TSA has been shut down for 109 days, nearly 60% of FY26. If this year demonstrates anything, it is that the TSA workforce and our operations cannot depend on predictable Congressional funding," Nguyen McNeill told the committee.
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Nguyen McNeill said that TSA screening functions are already privatized at some airports under the Screening Partnership Program (SPP), and that participating airports were largely shielded from the long security lines caused by the shutdown.
