Committee presses TSA on FY2026 ‘skinny’ budget, labor changes and screening technology rollout

Acting Administrator McNeil testified before the House Appropriations subcommittee to answer lawmakers’ questions about the Transportation Security Administration’s proposed fiscal year 2026 “skinny” budget, recent administrative changes affecting Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) and the agency’s plan to deploy new checkpoint technology.

Ranking Member Underwood told the subcommittee that the administration’s decision to rescind the collective bargaining agreement affecting “nearly 50,000 TSOs, including about 2,500 in Illinois,” had been announced with “no data on savings or benefits” and warned the move could hurt morale and operational consistency. She said TSOs “need less stress at work, not more” and urged the agency to provide a substantive justification for the change.

McNeil responded that the rescission and the staffing adjustments were made with security considerations in mind and said they had “returned hours to the security checkpoint,” adding that the change freed “over 200 TSOs” worth of hours for checkpoint duties. McNeil also said the staffing reductions tied to the skinny budget “represents, between 34%, of the workforce. Half of that, is designated for exit lanes,” and later described the remaining reduction as “about 2% of the TSO workforce, spread across 435 airports.” The differing percentage statements recorded in McNeil’s testimony were presented to the subcommittee during the same exchange.

Members pressed McNeil on the budget’s size and effect. In her opening, Underwood said the skinny budget proposes a cut of "$247,000,000, or about 3% of TSA’s overall budget." McNeil did not dispute the committee’s characterization of the proposed cut, and she said TSA will work with Congress on funding priorities and deployment schedules for new technology.

On technology, McNeil described computed tomography (CT) baggage scanners and credential authentication technology (CAT) as central to TSA’s modernization plans. She said CT produces “a 3‑D image which can be viewed and rotated 360 degrees” and that CAT improves identity verification at checkpoints. McNeil added that these technologies, combined with improved IT connections and algorithms, could let TSOs “look at images that alarm only” and thus increase throughput and detection accuracy.

McNeil told the committee that “as of May 7, TSA is fully enforcing real ID requirements at all airports” and reported initial compliance of 93% for IDs presented at checkpoints. She also said TSA stands ready to accelerate CT and CAT deployment with congressional support; the agency’s current internal forecast for full operating capability was discussed during the hearing.

Lawmakers raised concerns about impacts on smaller and general aviation airports. Underwood and other members warned that gaps at less-resourced airports could be exploited by bad actors and asked how TSA will maintain security if federal screening presence is reduced. McNeil said TSA has issued guidance for smaller airports, has been in “constant communication” with stakeholders and is exploring public–private approaches and other options to prioritize deployments across the airport system.

Members also asked about privatization and the Transportation Security Administration’s authority to use nonfederal screeners. McNeil said privatization options have been part of TSA’s structure since the Screening Partnership Program’s creation and that TSA’s “North Star” is the highest level of security regardless of the workforce model. She said stakeholders and Congress would have a role in decisions about privatization.

On surplus equipment for local law enforcement and small jurisdictions, representatives asked whether retired or replaced screening devices could be transferred. McNeil said TSA is assessing the maintenance and support burden for surplus equipment and providing information to states and localities so they can plan for acquisition and upkeep.

The hearing closed with members asking for more detailed data from TSA about the staffing reductions, the financial tradeoffs between labor and technology, and precise timelines for CT/CAT deployments. McNeil said TSA will continue to engage with the committee and industry stakeholders as it implements the agency’s modernization plans.

The hearing record contains multiple numeric and timeline statements from different speakers; where a single speaker offered inconsistent figures during questioning (for example, multiple percentage references to workforce reduction), the article reports each statement and attributes it to the speaker rather than reconciling them.