That budget reduction represented about a 3-4% cut to the TSA staffing levels - with half for staff at exit lanes and the remaining cut of 2% of transportation security officers spread across 435 airports.
The Biden administration had increased the size of the TSA, which has nearly 60,000 employees, as air travel has increased in recent years. The TSA screened 904 million passengers in 2024, which was a record high and a 5% increase over 2023.

>>1503292
>Turn more of the government over to mercenaries

Why do we even need the TSA? Wasn't it created to protect us against crazy islamists? When was the last time we pissed a bunch of them off?

>>1503292
Purpose something better. Trump is the worst president with the worst ideas…

>>1503356
Best president I've ever lived under with 90% good ideas.
I'm not happy about Iran and some other minutia, but jeez, looking back, how did we even survive Nixon, Carter, Bush, Clinton, Bush, and Obama?
Man, we are (were) a resilient people.

>>1503363
What is your metric for a good president? What positive change has he caused?

>>1503369
Stop taking his larp seriously.

>>1503374
I can poke retards if I want to.

>>1503369
My metric was all these other fuckers. Look at these fucking jackasses.
I left Reagan out because he ended decades of economic bullshit, but fuck him too.
>Positive change
Why go into specifics? You were complaining his first term about everything and wanted Biden to win. Look at what that fucker did.
You're opinion is like piss.

>>1503403
but you love being pissed on, you show up every day for more

>>1503404
Of your trolling? You're not even effective at it.
Did you think you were? The only part that even comes close to bugging me is how absolutely useless you are. Get a fucking life. There's nothing positive about posting 1 liners.
Not funny
Not enraging
No point in doing what you do
You're a loon
Seek meds and ingest.

>>1503407
tl;dr pissbreath

>>1503403
No you stupid fucking faggot, you don't know what I was doing his first term and are necessarily arguing against a strawman when you tell me what my opinion is. Fuck you for deliberately derailing the discussion you honorless fucking coward.

You can't go into specifics because you're a witless dipshit who can't justify you beliefs.

>>1503430
Fine tell me your thoughts on his first term.
Upsides, downsides, comparisons to other presidents, etc.

>>1503433
>No reply
>Anon is correct
I'm catching on to the way you shit-ass commies argue BTW.

>>1503436
you need to catch on to a real job

>>1503440
Wipe yo ass commie.

>>1503444
weird projection but ok

Privatization is a scam. Replacing an entity that operates at cost with one that requires it to make profit either means it’s more expensive for the same level of service or you cut down the staffing which would mean longer lines at security. And you know the contracts are going to be no-bid to some shady politically connected company that was just formed a week before.

>>1503292
So, when we go through Customs now, how much are we expected to tip them?

>>1503481
No it doesn't.
Generally better service, more accountability.
Cost may be a factor, however. The government can control the pricing and may be able to deliver the service at a less expensive rate depending on the specialization of the service.
The question is, "Will they?". Or will we have an Meicare/Medicaid/ACA-like situation where lobbyists from insurance companies set the pricing?

>>1503509
Well, I'll be tipping based on the amount time spent fondling my genitals.

The US government should not be subsidizing the airlines. We shouldn't be paying taxes to keep them or their BS rewards programs going. We shouldn't be paying for the TSA. It's literally poor people subsidizing the rich's international travel.

Let the airlines fail for once. Let banks fail for once. Let Walstreet declare bankruptcy. Or watch it all happen at the same time.

>>1503517
>Generally better service, more accountability.
Lol
Lmao
They don't need to have accountability because it's a private company, they can do whatever they want. It's the government that has obligatory accountability and transparency

I bet now you're going to need an app and a subscription and to use your social security number and a credit card and they will hire teenagers with less than a high school education and pay them nothing All while the heads of the security companies are making billions and the same chums of the other Epstein billionaires.

Yes that was a huge run-on sentence but you know exactly what they're going to do. It's all so tiring.

>>1503522
My brother in Christ, the TSA doesn't exist to protect the airlines. The airlines are fucking insured. It exists to protect national security.

They aren't security at a club. They're there to keep someone from dropping a missile the size of a large building on the CIA.

>>1503528
This is probably what's going to happen. We'll start needing an ID to travel, and it will be traveling anywhere. At the same time they'll demand what are effectively bribes to speed the process along (join the Epstein+ TSA line to get fast-tracked through!!! give face, name, DOB, SSN, and location of your children to sign up!!!)

I say that and I think they already have pre-screening which is effectively that. It's right out of Papers Please

>>1503292
Okay. I know I'm going to get about five replies calling me an esl shill, but what's wrong with this idea? Why not let each individual airport be responsible for their own security, with staff hired by them?

>>1503567
Nothing so long as regulatory standards are kept, which is more difficult when dealing with private companies.
The secondary problem is that these services being public utilities are virtual necessities and if they begin to fail the government has to bail them out

>>1503577
Couldn't we set it up where the state is liable for any incidents? For example, some retard brings a knife on the plane and stabs somebody over an argument about a seat, for a flight from LAX to NYC. Los Angeles and the state of California would then be on the hook for failing to do their job.

>>1503585
Yeah you could but the point of all the security is to prevent incidents from occurring at all

>>1503292
Dumbass should have done this first, then do a false flag on Irans behalf, and then he could have declared war with most of the nation backing him. Trump looks like an amateur compared to Bush.

>>1503292
If you think about it, TSA agents becoming bribable is really just establishing fees for taking illegal items on planes

>>1503567
The TSA is a federal agency that was created by the DHS after 9/11. They work closely with security agencies to create normalized standards and practices to help keep air transit relatively safe.
A privatized TSA means you will have different airports with different standards for airport security. This is happening on the cusp of the US killing the Ayatollah and the immediate threat posed by terrorist orgs in the United States.

>>1503656
The government can and should impose standards across all airports. The problem with private companies is their motivated by profit whereas government bodies are motivated by upholding regulatory standards

>>1503567
Because private businesses only care about making money. That's it. They don't care about helping people, they don't care about providing a good product or service, the ONLY THING they care about is making money. Nothing else.
If providing a service makes them money, then sure, they'll do it. But if cutting corners, cheaping out, nickle and diming, and generally providing a worse service will make them MORE money? Then they'll do that instead every single time.

You don't want airport security privatized because private security companies don't care about providing security, they care about making money.

>>1503658
>their motivation is profit

>>1503655
>They aren't already bribable!!
WTF? Government agencies must be fucking sainted in your mind.

>>1503658
>whereas government bodies are motivated by upholding regulatory standards
So zero motivation. We know. We've dealt with them before.

>>1503665
nta but it’s assumed government agencies will usually also have some kind of oversight built-in to ensure there is no corruption. If the function of the TSA is privatised allowing the private companies to handle their own corruption investigations when they are primarily motivated by profit is more than a bit stupid, you’d be allowing the company to investigate itself. If you’re going to go private but still have government oversight then that’s fine

>>1503669
Any examples?

>>1503670
>If you’re going to go private but still have government oversight then that’s fine
Duh. And the profit motivation isn't a bad thing either. As long as it's something as low-skilled as security work as there's plenty of competition. The possibility of losing a government contract is massive motivator.

>>1503671
How old are you?

>>1503672
Ok but they only lose the government contract when they fuck up, and if they fuck up it isn’t necessary a small problem. One mistake could cause a catastrophic event. And a private company motivated by profit will do things that will increase profit, a government agency does things in accordance with the government mandated regulations.
This has been proven throughout history that certain public utilities and services cannot be entrusted to people motivated by profit, an early example is the fire department in ancient Rome

>>1503674
You don’t need to be here and I’m over 18

>>1503677
>Over 18
>Never been in a government building
Ask your mother.

>>1503676
>The government cannot make a catastrophic mistake!!!
I think we're done here. Maybe examine your beliefs.
In the end, everything relies on the same people with the same flaws.

>>1503679
If it’s all the same then what’s the difference?

>>1503683
The minor difference is that privatization allows the government to fulfill it's role which is regulation and accountability. A role the government is better at than providing services.
Reason being that the government only has an interest in providing services according to the law. That makes them terrible at things like efficiency and customer service things private companies thrive at since they have a monetary interest in providing good service (generally held accountable by the government). For instance, if you aren't aware (you aren't) CMS takes all complaints extremely seriously and has the ability to take action on consumer complaints against insurers, insurance agents, and hospitals.

Not to say there aren't problems with privatizing, government services, but they're usually the social services provided nationwide that are exploited.

>>1503517
This is true - if you're also allowing competition in that market. There's no incentive to provide better service or better accountability if you're the only choice in the market. In fact, there's an incentive to raise prices on consumers of the product.

So get ready for mandatory tiered security (at a small monthly cost) - Free, TSAPre, TSAPre+, TSAPre+ (with optional international), and TSAPremiumPre (international included).

>>1503691
https://www.tsa.gov/precheck
>Get fast, convenient access at over 479 enrollment centers with pop-ups daily.
>479 Active Locations
>$76.75

>Enroll in TSA PreCheck® with Telos - fast, local, and convenient.
>508 Active Locations
>$85.00

>>1503684
>…privatization allows the government to fulfill it's role which is regulation and accountability. A role the government is better at than providing services.
The government can also be as good or better at providing services as any private company. You’re being presumptuous here with this trope that private provides better services, it’s baseless.
>the government only has an interest in providing services according to the law
That’s also true for a private company
>… efficiency and customer service things private companies thrive at since they have a monetary interest in providing good service
Ok so here’s a massive flaw in your logic. It’s true that private enterprise is motivated to create good service in order to keep the business solvent and in profit, that I agree with. What you’re missing is that the reason this is true is because of competition and consumer choice, if the consumer doesn’t like the quality of service they can take their money elsewhere to another service provider. The problem with this is that it does not apply to public utilities and essential services. If I’m not happy with the quality of the security screening process at the airport am I to try another airport? There’s also no accountability for a corporation which can simply declare bankruptcy or some other way out of taking responsibility, a government agency is permanently responsible.

All of these issues pale in comparison to the fact that the private company is providing the service to turn a profit where the public sector can provide exactly the same service by exactly the same people for exactly the same total costs and not be under any obligation have to turn a profit

Thought exercise: replace the entire military with mercenary companies

>>1503354
9/11 proved the concept of attacking with airliners. Without TSA every group out there would be crashing planes into shit. In fact im surprised it doesnt happen more often even with TSA.

>>1503694
Are you arguing that if you got rid of the gov't TSA PreCheck that Telos Pre would come down to $76.75? Or are you arguing that Telos providing the exact same service as gov't screening is worth ~$10 more?

I think if you want to privatise security services at airports you need to make an argument that it isn’t an essential need for the public. Then you can do what you like and if the private security companies don’t do the job properly it won’t matter they’ll just lose their business

>>1503704
If anything he's making the case things need to be nationalized since it would bring down prices

>>1503695
>The government can also be as good or better at providing services as any private company. You’re being presumptuous here with this trope that private provides better services, it’s baseless.
UPS, FedEx, Amazon v US Mail.
>That’s also true for a private company
You've never worked, huh?
Anyway, here's where you're faggot-brain has failed.
IF a private company doesn't provide good service they can be replaced, generally pretty easily..
IF the government provides trash services (it does) then how do you replace it?
Go ahead and apply for foodstamps or some other government assistance. You'll be on my side in no time.

>>1503695
Republicunts love the idea of privatizing things that have no competition
Their laziness and greed naturally point them towards easy scams, and there's literally no way for any competition to pop up in this case

>>1503708
It isn't an essential need. It's based on post-9/11 fear. We did fine before the TSA expansion.
And how does it matter if it's an essential need?
I don't get the line of thought here.

>>1503723
ahh, the classic "break it and point at it" tactic, a republican favorite

>>1503724
>Their laziness and greed naturally point them towards easy scams, and there's literally no way for any competition to pop up in this case
TSA at the airports is pretty much just standard security. There's plenty of competition there.

>>1503726
Ahhh, the classic, "Say some shit with no supporting evidence while instilling blame on others" tactic, a liggeral favorite.

>>1503728
NTA, but why should some lazy fuck become a billionaire because they use the cheapest worker possible to fondle my balls?

>>1503728
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, FUCK DHS, FUCK COPS, etc.
>Privatize?
>Think of DHS and the COPS!!!
WTF.

>>1503730
IDK? Because they embezzled money from their high up DHS position?
Oh, we're talking about privatized?
Because the DHS agents are sexy, and it's like getting felt up by a Hooters waitress, or cute twink. You get to choose! CAPITALISM!!!

>>1503732
>Because they embezzled money from their high up DHS position
Ah, we're at the 'shameless lying' phase for shills
It can be hard to tell sometimes because you're nearly always here.

>>1503733
There's been many multiple instances of mostly Democrats embezzling government funds, fagwad.

>>1503734
lmao, you never seem to try ESL shill

>>1503723
US postal can be as good as all of those.
Private companies can’t always be replaced especially if they’re engaged in a unique service, nor should they be if they’re not profitable it’s indicative that the service isn’t necessarily profitable.
There’s no sane reason why a government agency can’t do the same service as a private enterprise and at the same cost but without the need to increase prices for the sake of profit

>>1503725
>extra security to safeguard against plane hijackings which has reduced hijackings to basically zero isn’t needed

>>1503738
Does it need to be provided from the government?
Why not just put an armed guard on every plane and make the airlines eat the cost?

>>1503737
>US postal can be as good as all of those.
No. They are not good at it.
USPS was a revolutionary thing, but in modern times there's better modes of shipping and communication.
And once again, walk into a post office one of these days and see how you're treated.
I've had both good and terrible experiences with USPS.
Whereas FedEx will almost suck my cock.
There's a large gap in government services. And shitty employees are generally not held accountable.

>>1503748
>here's how you can make your country as good as my mother india
sorry shill, Trumps just talking out their ass again

>>1503748
Do you not understand that the word “can” implies potentially. There’s no need for these courier services if US postal just does exactly what the couriers do but for less because they don’t need to profiteering

>>1503744
They have sky marshals but not on every plane and they are plain clothes so terrorists don’t know which person to kill with a plastic fork before taking over the whole plane. It’s also dangerous shooting holes in an airlocked environment

>>1503759
You do realize no one can force them to give a shit though, right?

>>1503760
>Muh 'scuses
Irrelevant

>>1503765
Same applies for workers in a private company if that’s what you mean

>>1503798
I mean top to bottom they have no motivatoin.

>>1503723
Hi I'm Canadian. We have a great postal service and a decent social welfare system, that I live off of. The government can do things well, you just need to fujd them and provide oversight to ensure it's working. There also comes a point where the one company is too integral and thus hard to replace or consolidation makes it impossible as with Loblaws logistics here in Canada.

>Privatizing a system that's allowed to decide what's allowed and what isn't on a whim and confiscate things to enforce its rules with no recourse for travelers
Can't wait to see where this ends up.

I'm on board with this. The TSA isn't making us money, so it should be privatized. Same goes for the post office and the military.

>>1503517
>privatized
>Generally better service, more accountability.
AHHHH HAHAHAHAHAHA

>>1503881
Oh how relevant this posts concern is to my own, I often am transporting handmade electronics and small amounts of precious metals or occasionally just nice tools. In my checked baggage when I fly. I've had plenty of shit stolen already from TSA fuckers.
Anyway I've already crunched the numbers and will no longer be flying unless I absolutely have to.

>>1503354
lol good one

I used to work for TSA. No one will read this but a few things:
1. TSA oversees federal regulations for all airport security, even among its private contractors. So someone would need to step up and keep enforcing these rules (which are more complex and cohesive than you’d think). The standards are extremely high.
2. The vast majority of airports that went private reverted back to TSA. The private companies underpaid and overworked their employees so badly they couldn’t keep a workforce. TSA doesn’t pay great but the benefits are good.
3. TSA is a bargain for travelers. Did you know that one x-ray machine costs $500,00-$800,000? Yes, one. Each airport has hundreds of millions of dollars of equipment. And yet travelers only pay like 12 dollars per round trip for security. A private company would charge travelers out the ass.
4. TSA is really good at catching important shit. It is literally impossible to miss a gun. 0%. It is impossible to miss explosives. Again, 0%. People don’t realize how good they are because they see public numbers which are 10 years old and are very misleading. TSA is tested internally with inside knowledge of how to bypass their systems. The general public would have no idea how because the situations are incredibly niche, but they’re there. The tests aren’t designed to be fair, they’re designed to expose weaknesses, and yet they use these numbers to try and show how bad the agency is. It’s a demoralization campaign. Also, in these tests they use fake explosives on machines that are meant to detect real explosives. It’s stupid.
So there.

>>1504468
And by the way, I hated the job and so did probably 80% of the people there. Everyone is trying to just get their foot in the door of the government and move on to better things as fast as they can. Morale was low and officers were bleeding out like crazy. There really was/is a demoralization campaign constantly internally, it’s really shit.