WASHINGTON – The nation’s major airline carriers are voicing strong opposition to a White House initiative that would force smaller airports to replace Transportation Security Administration screeners with private security personnel, according to written testimony obtained by Reuters.
Chris Sununu, who leads Airlines for America, plans to address a House committee Wednesday, emphasizing that keeping private security “remains an option for airports and does not become a mandatory program is paramount to the U.S. aviation industry.”
The proposal comes as part of President Donald Trump’s plan from last month to eliminate more than 9,400 positions and reduce funding by over $1.5 billion from the TSA, which currently employs 60,000 people and oversees security operations at airports nationwide.
