Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that has authority over the security of the traveling public in the United States. It was created as a response to the September 11 attacks under the administration of President George W. Bush, to improve airport security procedures and centralize air travel security under a single federal agency.

Chiefly concerned with air travel, the TSA employs screening officers in airports, armed Federal Air Marshals on planes, mobile teams of dog handlers, and explosives specialists. Previously part of the U.S Department of Transportation, the TSA became part of the Department of Homeland Security in March 2003. It is presently led by Administrator David Pekoske and is headquartered in Springfield, Virginia. As of the fiscal year 2020, the TSA operated on a budget of approximately $7.68 billion and employed over 47,000 Transportation Security Officers, Behaviour Detection Officers, Transportation Security Specialists, Federal Air Marshalls, and other security personnel.

The TSA has multiple screening processes and regulations related to passengers and carry-on luggage, including; identification requirements, pat-downs, full-body scanners, device restrictions, and explosives screening. It has come under controversy throughout its history for the effectiveness of said procedures, as well as baggage theft, data security, and prejudicial treatment towards certain ethnic groups. Due to controversy, there have been multiple federal investigations of the TSA, as well as calls for the abolition of the agency by senators, political lobbying groups, and columnists.

History and mission

The TSA was created largely in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, which revealed weaknesses in existing airport security procedures. At the time, a myriad of private security companies managed air travel security under contract to individual airlines or groups of airlines that used a given airport or terminal facility. Proponents of placing the government in charge of airport security, including Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, argued that only a single federal agency could best protect passenger aviation.

Congress agreed, and authorized the creation of the TSA in the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, which was signed into law by President George W. Bush on November 19, 2001. Bush nominated John Magaw on December 10, and he was confirmed by the Senate the following January. The agency was initially placed under the United States Department of Transportation but was moved to the Department of Homeland Security when that department was formed on March 9, 2003.

The new agency's effort to hire screeners to begin operating security checkpoints at airports represents a case of a large-scale staffing project completed over a short period. The only effort in U.S. history that came close to it was the testing of recruits for the armed forces in World War II. During the period from February to December 2002, 1.7 million applicants were assessed for 55,000 screening jobs.

The TSA develops broad policies to protect the U.S. transportation system, including highways, railroads, buses, mass transit systems, ports, and pipelines. It fulfills this mission in conjunction with other federal agencies and state partners. However, the TSA's primary focus is on airport security and the prevention of aircraft hijacking. It is responsible for screening passengers and baggage at more than 450 U.S. airports.