Tampa, Charleston and Des Moines Airports Join New TSA Privatized Security Initiative
The first two airports in TSA Gold+ will shift screening staff and checkpoint technology to private contractors, affecting about 47,000 federal screeners nationwide.
- Tampa International Airport and Des Moines International Airport have become the first to join the Transportation Security Administration's new Gold+ privatization model, allowing private contractors to manage checkpoint staff and technology while TSA maintains oversight.
- President Donald Trump's administration unveiled the Gold+ initiative earlier this year to modernize airport security, building on the existing Screening Partnership Program currently operating at 20 airports nationwide.
- TSA has yet to select contractors, with proposals due July 31, though current employees retain the "right of first refusal" to accept jobs with the incoming private screening provider.
- The American Federation of Government Employees, representing 47,000 federal screeners, criticized the expansion, arguing the shift prioritizes "contractor bottom lines" over workforce protections and federal career stability.
- Implementation is targeted for May 31, 2027, aligning with broader administration privatization efforts outlined in the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 blueprint for modernizing airport security operations.
53 Articles
53 Articles
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Syracuse NY
Airport security is changing at these three U.S. airports
Three U.S. airports are set to become the first participants in a new Transportation Security Administration initiative that expands the use of private contractors at airport security checkpoints while keeping federal oversight in place, CBS News reported.
Three Airports Opt Into Trump Administration’s New Private Airport Security Model
Twenty airports across the country have used the SPP to fill gaps in their workforces during previous shutdowns, including earlier this year, when TSA agents worked without pay for 76 days during the partial government shutdown. Yuki Iwamura/APAirports in Tampa, Des Moines and Charleston will be the first to opt into TSA Gold+, the Trump administration’s new initiative that allows private contractors to manage the screening and security processe…
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