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Federal Workers' Union Sues TSA Over Secret Airport Screening Privatization Plan
AFGE says TSA quietly pitched vendors and airport authorities on its "Gold+" privatization program for months while stonewalling a FOIA request.
By THRYV Travel Desk·Published August 10, 2026·Updated August 10, 2026·4 min read
Travel · Illustration commissioned for THRYV. Photography is replaced with original imagery as each story is produced.
The takeaway
The American Federation of Government Employees is suing the TSA after the agency missed a legal deadline to respond to a FOIA request about "Gold+," its plan to shift passenger screening to private contractors. The union says TSA briefed vendors and airport officials starting in 2025 without notifying Congress or workers. Tampa, Charleston and Des Moines airports are named as initial sites.
The American Federation of Government Employees has sued the Transportation Security Administration, accusing the agency of stonewalling a Freedom of Information Act request about a little-known initiative called TSA Gold+ that would shift passenger-screening operations at some airports to private contractors.
What AFGE is asking for
AFGE submitted its FOIA request on May 11, 2026, seeking records on Gold+. TSA missed the June 9 statutory deadline to respond without explanation or a formal determination, prompting the union to file suit on August 5.
What Gold+ would change
Gold+ builds on TSA's two-decade-old Screening Partnership Program, which lets airports opt for private contractors instead of federal screeners under TSA oversight. Gold+ goes further by letting private companies own the screening technology itself rather than relying on federal procurement. AFGE says TSA began soliciting vendor interest in August 2025 and pitched the program to the Airports Council International trade group in March 2026 — months before formally notifying Congress or its own workforce.
Tampa International Airport (Florida)
Charleston International Airport (South Carolina)
Des Moines International Airport (Iowa)
Those three airports are designated for an initial 2027 launch. AFGE represents roughly 47,000 Transportation Security Officers across about 400 U.S. airports, and says the privatization push is tied to a proposed 14% reduction in the TSA workforce — about 8,400 of 61,000 positions — with roughly $477 million redirected toward the contractor program.
TSA has been keeping everyone in the dark about its privatization plans.
Everett Kelley, AFGE National President
The union also points to an April 16 congressional hearing where Acting TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill testified that privatization proposals involved only smaller regional airports — testimony AFGE says understated a program TSA had already been pitching to larger airports for months.
Why it matters for travelers
Currently only 20 U.S. airports use privatized screening under the existing partnership program, with San Francisco and Kansas City the largest. Supporters argue private contractors can be more resilient during federal disruptions like shutdowns; the union counters that profit incentives could pressure wages, turnover and, ultimately, consistency at the checkpoint.
Sources
This article is original writing by THRYV. We link to primary reporting and official documents rather than reproducing them.
Written and edited in-house by the THRYV Travel Desk. We do not republish or reword agency copy, and we do not invent quotes, statistics, testimonials or ratings. Where figures move frequently, we point you to the primary release rather than printing a number that will be out of date. Advertising and affiliate partnerships have no influence on our reporting — see our editorial standards, fact-checking policy and affiliate disclosure. Spotted an error? Write to newsroom@thryv-news.com.
General information only. Not personalised financial, medical or legal advice.
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