House Homeland Security panel pushes TSA modernization agenda for aviation security

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TSA modernization for aviation security

Highlights

Chairman Andrew R. Garbarino advocates TSA modernization, prioritizing advanced screening technology and legislative action such as the bipartisan SAFEGUARDS Act to restore aviation security funding.
Recent government shutdowns in 2025 and 2026 left TSA officers working unpaid for 119 days, prompting calls for stronger institutional support and stable funding.
The committee considers expanding the Reimbursable Screening Services Program and broader international adoption of One-Stop Security to enhance operational efficiency and global screening standards.

Legislative focus on screening technology and funding

As reported by the House Committee on Homeland Security, Chairman Andrew R. Garbarino opens a full committee hearing on reform proposals aimed at improving aviation security through TSA modernization. He says the review is guiding legislative work to strengthen transportation security infrastructure, help the agency respond to risks such as drones and cyberattacks, and improve the travel experience ahead of major upcoming events on U.S. soil.

Garbarino argues the agency faces an evolving threat landscape, record passenger volumes, and technology that lags some international peers. He says modernization means investing in future tools and partnerships, not discarding past security rules, with the goal of making screening more seamless, accurate, and effective while supporting a highly trained workforce.

Among the priorities he highlights is ending the diversion of 9/11 Passenger Security Fee revenue to deficit reduction. Garbarino says Congress originally expected the fee to fund aviation security directly and points to the bipartisan SAFEGUARDS Act, co-led with Representatives Strong and Kennedy, as a vehicle to restore funding for security capital needs and new checkpoint technology.

Workforce strain and broader industry implications

Garbarino says recent shutdowns have placed significant pressure on TSA frontline staff. Between the 2025 and 2026 shutdowns, transportation security officers were affected for a combined 119 days, which he says amounts to roughly 40% of this fiscal year spent reporting to work without pay while maintaining a core federal security mission.

He also points to support from AFGE President Dr. Everett Kelly for reopening the government, using that intervention to underscore the operational and financial consequences shutdowns have for TSA officers, other federal workers, and the traveling public. In Garbarino's view, those disruptions reinforce the need to give the agency stronger institutional support as it modernizes.

The committee is also examining an expansion of the Reimbursable Screening Services Program to give airports more operational flexibility while keeping TSA in a central oversight role. It is further considering broader use of the One-Stop Security program with partner countries to raise screening standards, assess security data earlier, and streamline inbound international passenger processing without weakening security.

Our earlier coverage of the House Appropriations Committee’s FY2027 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development spending bill explained how lawmakers proposed a $92.224 billion discretionary package that shifts funding priorities across transportation. We noted the bill’s aviation focus, including $22.7 billion for the FAA to hire 2,300 air traffic controllers and upgrade aging systems, alongside broader investments in highways, rail, airports, maritime needs, and transportation cybersecurity.

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