PT World
Kylie Bielby
15 October 2025
US think-tank Reason Foundation has proposed legislation to reform the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) so that airport security is not affected in the event of a government shutdown.
As essential workers, TSA employees are required to work as usual through a government shutdown, but their salaries will not be paid until the shutdown ends and federal funding resumes. This sometimes results in increased sick leave across the workforce.
Previous government shutdowns have affected airport security wait times considerably, particularly the prolonged ones that have led screening officers to seek employment elsewhere.
Reason Foundation’s proposed legislation, which it calls the TSA Reform Act, would separate the provision of airport screening from its regulation. Pointing to the European model, the think-tank’s proposal would require that airport security screening be conducted by “an employee or agent of an airport,” who would be certified and regulated by TSA.
The proposal adds that the basic statutory framework of TSA’s Screening Partnership Program – where airports can apply to seek the services of private screening companies – be amended to enable airports to contract directly with security screening providers or to self-provide screening services.
