At airports in America, one of the most dreaded experiences has to be the security check. From the restrictions that seem ludicrous (god forbid that I have some mosquito spray in my carry-on bag) to the long lines, it is no wonder why 87% of flyers said that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) does a fair or poor job with airport security. Now, with more Americans planning on traveling, with 70% of parents saying that 2022 is the first year that they are taking an international trip, it is time to consider the way airport security works, specifically the fact that the Transportation Security Administration should be abolished.

For some historical context, the Transportation Security Administration was created by Ernest F. Hollings (D-SC) through the Aviation and Transportation Security Act. This bill was signed into law by the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush, on September 21, 2001, ten days after the September 11th attacks. It is logical to see why the TSA was made. With the searing impact of 9/11 fresh in the minds of Americans, many wanted the government to take proactive measures to ensure that something like this would never happen and the data backs this up. According to Pew Research Center, 55% of Americans in September 2001 agreed with the statement that in order to curb terrorism, Americans should be willing to be to give up certain civil liberties.

Looking at the present day, the effects of TSA have been largely detrimental. For example, according to the Heritage Foundation, in 2017, the TSA failed to catch explosives, drugs, and weapons 80% of the time with some estimates reaching as high as 95% of the time. Furthermore, between 2003 and 2012, around 400 TSA officers were arrested for stealing items from passengers, meaning that those who are employed with our taxpayer dollars to ensure that we have safe travels are robbing us. What is even more concerning is that TSA has been notorious in terms of not hiring the best people. For example, 73 TSA agents were able to pass the background check even though they had ties to terrorist organizations as well as having hired registered sex offenders. 

What makes this all worse is that the Transportation Security Organization gets nearly $8 Billion in funding, according to the US Department of Homeland Security. To put that into perspective, with a fraction of that money, the government could fund the National Endowment of the Arts till 2051, expand Medicare for 1.4 million Americans, and double funding for citizenship and immigration services according to Institute for Policy Studies.   

Now, some readers might be asking what should be done to protect airplane passengers instead of having TSA. One policy recommendation would be to have private screeners rather than government employees conduct airport security. This has been implemented in Canada where they spend less money per capita on airport security. Furthermore, this system works in the United States with one of the best examples is the San Francisco International Airport which works with the TSA through their Screening Partnership Program where there are shorter lines, more efficacy in finding contraband, and more accountability. Another tool that could be implemented would be having individual airlines provide their own security measures, allowing competition on that front, leading to better service and more choices for consumers.

Flying is already a big process and having the TSA breathing down the necks of American flyers serves no purpose other than security theater and creating inefficiencies. With the airport system already messed up, such as multiple flight disruptions and oligopolistic control by four major flight companies, having government inefficiency in the system is something that flyers could do without.