The proposed budget represents reductions of 8,4000 positions and about 9,4000 full-time equivalents
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NEED TO KNOW
- The White House’s 2027 budget proposal would cut over 9,400 TSA workers
- The plan includes privatizing airport screenings at small airports to save $52 million
- The proposals come amid an ongoing partial government shutdown impacting Department of Homeland Security personnel, including TSA agents
The White House is proposing to cut more than 9,400 workers from the TSA, according to budget documents analyzed by Reuters.
The White House’s 2027 budget proposal, released Friday, March 31, requests $11.7 billion for the TSA. The changes would mean reductions of almost 8,4000 positions and about 9,4000 full-time equivalents (FTEs).
The plan includes a reduction of 2,462 Transportation Security Officer (TSO) positions and 4,352 TSO FTEs. These positions perform passenger screenings and searches at the airport.
“Despite these reductions, TSA will maintain all priority mission-critical positions to ensure operations effectiveness and mission continuity,” the budget proposal says.
Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty
In total, the agency would keep 53,199 positions and 50,398 FTEs under the proposed 2027 budget. By comparison, the 2026 budget allocated funding for 61,584 positions and 59,837 FTEs.
Reuters reports the employee cuts would save more than $500 million.
The document also includes directives to begin the privatization of TSA’s airport screeners by requiring small airports to enroll in the Screening Partnership Program. The initiative allows airports to use private, TSA-certified personnel to complete passenger and baggage screening.
Credit: ERIK S LESSER/EPA/Shutterstock
The White House Office of Management and Budget suggests this change will save about $52 million.
Congress will hold hearings on the proposed budget requests later this month, with a goal to finalize the deal before the 2026 fiscal year ends on Sept. 30.
The proposed budget comes as the TSA is left unfunded during the ongoing partial government shutdown. In mid-February, Congress failed to pass a funding measure for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees TSA.
The shutdown meant TSA workers were required to work without pay, leading to increased callouts and understaffing at facilities across the country. For travelers, it meant hours-long wait times for security screenings.
However, last week, some TSA officers reported they started receiving paychecks for back pay following an executive action signed by President Trump.
On Friday, March 27, Trump directed “funds that have a reasonable and logical nexus to TSA operations” to provide employees with their accrued compensation and benefits. The action did not explicitly state if they would be paid for ongoing work. It also did not mention funding for other DHS agency personnel, including the Coast Guard and FEMA.
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Trump has long been critical of the TSA. On his first day in office in 2025, he fired its head, David Pekoske, and has not nominated a replacement.
"TSA has consistently failed audits while implementing intrusive screening measures that violate Americans’ privacy and dignity,” the White House’s Office of Management and Budget said last year.
The White House deferred PEOPLE to the Office of Management and Budget, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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