The TSA has done away with its controversial Gold+ privatized screening program. Instead, the agency will develop what it called an "evolved" version of the existing Screening Partnership Program (SPP) as part of a broader package of strategic initiatives dubbed Horizon 25.
The announcement, made by new TSA administrator David Cummins on Monday, came on the same day that Tampa Airport disclosed that it would not go forward with plans to join Gold+ after completing an evaluation of the program. Instead, Tampa will continue using TSA personnel at security checkpoints.
Tampa; Charleston, S.C.; and Des Moines, Iowa, were the first three airports to announce their intent to join the Gold+ program. Established in May, the initiative faced strong opposition, including a lawsuit from the Association of Federal Government Employees (AFGE), the union representing TSA workers.
The SPP program, which has been in place since 2004, enables airports to allow the TSA to select a private contractor to conduct airport screening rather than federal TSA workers. The contractor must still adhere to TSA regulations.
There has been minimal uptake of SPP. Just 20 airports participate in the program, the largest of those being San Francisco Airport, followed by Kansas City. Most participants are small airports.
The Gold+ program was to go beyond SPP by having the contracted screening company own the screening technology, a move that the TSA said would free airports from protracted federal procurement processes, enabling quicker checkpoint innovation.
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Early this month, the AFGE sued the TSA, asking a court to turn over records about the Gold+ program. The AFGE also said the TSA developed the program over the course of many months without even telling the employees' association about it. The AFGE said it learned about the program through media accounts.
The TSA's Horizon 25 comes as the agency approaches its 25th anniversary, and the name references the program's effort to shape the TSA's next 25 years. The plan will focus on three broad initiatives -- improving the passenger experience, streamlining the acquisition of new technology, expanding TSA's capabilities to counter the threat of unmanned aircraft systems -- among its many other priorities.
The TSA said it will bring together innovators and ground-breakers from across the agency in September, including field and headquarters personnel, to rapidly advance key initiatives. Privatization will remain a priority.
"This strategy will accelerate public-private partnerships with industry leaders across sectors to expand modernization across TSA," the agency said.