Do You Believe the TSA is Fulfilling Its Mission?

The Transportation Security Administration has had some problems recently, with news reports of security checkpoint failures and the agency head getting reassigned. What is your opinion of the TSA and its effectiveness?

The Transportation Security Administration has had a rough time recently.

ABC News reported that an undercover investigation revealed that investigators were able to smuggle simulated explosives or weapons through security checkpoints in 95% of trials. TSA’s administrator was then reassigned after this report was released.

Another investigation from earlier this year found that hundreds if not thousands of security badges went missing at airports around the country, raising security concerns. The TSA wouldn’t say how often the IDs go missing.

A senior official told a Senate committee that TSA conducted background checks that cleared people for access to secure airport areas even though their names were on a federal database of possible terrorists.

Senator John Thune (R-SD), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, which has primary jurisdiction over the TSA, recently said that in light of these recent problems that the TSA is in need of a number of reforms.

So the agency has clearly had some problems of late.

What is your opinion of the TSA? Do you believe it is making flying safer, or should the agency be dropped in favor of private screeners as some critics have suggested? The survey is now closed, but please see FedSmith.com Users Say Its Time to Scrap the TSA for an analysis of the results.

About the Author

Ian Smith is one of the co-founders of FedSmith.com. He has over 20 years of combined experience in media and government services, having worked at two government contracting firms and an online news and web development company prior to his current role at FedSmith.