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Does Project 2025 call for privatizing TSA?

From congressional bills to PreCheck rumors, here are our most popular stories about the Transportation Security Administration.

by Nur Ibrahim, March 26, 2026


Image shows a TSA agent in uniform standing above a large crowd at an airport.

Image courtesy of Charly Triballeau, accessed via Getty Images


The U.S. Transportation Security Administration is a federal agency within the Department of Homeland Security responsible for travel security across the country. Formed after the Sept. 11 attacks, it has become the center of numerous rumors and claims surrounding privacy and security. 

In March 2026, President Donald Trump's administration deployed ICE agents to airports amid growing airport wait times during a partial government shutdown. Snopes has reported on a bill passed in 2026 that would ban members of Congress from getting special treatment during airport security screenings. We also debunked false claims that TSA agents were checking travelers' cellphones for specific applications. 

Over the years, we have also reported on claims including whether airport scanners "rip apart" travelers' DNA and whether full-body scanners show a person's private parts. We have also covered the second Trump administration's restructuring of the TSA, including its firing of various officials to the lack of evidence around claims that it fired air traffic controllers in 2025. 

See more of our coverage below:


By Nur Ibrahim

Nur Nasreen Ibrahim is a reporter with experience working in television, international news coverage, fact checking, and creative writing.

Senate passed bill banning special TSA treatment for lawmakers. Here's what it says

March 20, 2026

The bill appeared to be an effort to encourage an end to the ongoing lapse of funding for the De ...

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Is TSA checking passengers' cellphones for 5 apps? Here's what we know

Dec. 8, 2025

In one popular YouTube video, an alleged flight attendant named Sophia warned passengers about T ...

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What we know about claims applying for TSA PreCheck and Global Entry gives government 'unrestricted' data access

May 29, 2025

The Department of Homeland Security's Trusted Traveler Programs allow prescreened travelers a fa ...

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What we know about claims US border protection detained, deported 2 German tourists in Hawaii

April 22, 2025

Charlotte Pohl and Maria Lepère told German media they were detained and strip-searched before b ...

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DOGE allegedly froze spending on care, feeding of TSA bomb-sniffing dogs. Here's what we know

March 17, 2025

Around 1,000 TSA canine teams trained in detecting explosives are deployed at transit hubs aroun ...

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Two white men wearing black suits are pictured next to each other. One is looking forward + speaking, while the other on the right is looking towards the left side.

Elon Musk Wanted FAA Chief Out, But There's No Evidence He Pushed Him To Resign

Jan. 31, 2025

In the fall of 2024, the tech billionaire said the FAA administrator should resign after the age ...

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A white man wearing a blue suit points while standing behind a podium.

What We Know About Trump Firing Key Aviation, Coast Guard Officials

Jan. 31, 2025

Social media users discussed the purported firings amid reports of a fatal plane crash in Washin ...

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No Evidence Trump Fired 3,000 Air Traffic Controllers

Jan. 31, 2025

The president was quick to blame DEI policies for a fatal midair collision in January 2025.

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TSA body scans

Do TSA Full-Body Scans Show ... Everything?

Feb. 1, 2024

The technology was said to produce “an image that resembles a chalk etching.”

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A story about an older woman who flew with drugs and got caught after landing at Dubai International Airport (DXB) cautions against touching other people's luggage for fear of being implicated in crimes, based on fingerprints on the baggage.

Is the 'Never Touch Anyone's Luggage' on Airplane Story Real?

June 21, 2022

We looked for the origins of a story Facebook users copied and pasted, which often began with th ...

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Airport, Person, Human

Does TSA Allow 'Illegal Immigrants' To Use Arrest Warrants as ID?

March 16, 2022

The TSA is rewarding “criminal behavior,” according to some commentators.

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On April 2, 2021, Houston police seized a breakfast burrito concealing crystal methamphetamine at William P. Hobby Airport.

Was Meth Found in Breakfast Burrito at Houston Airport?

April 19, 2021

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials thought the burrito looked peculiar with ...

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Did 174 Democrats Vote Against Barring TSA from Hiring Terrorists and Sexual Predators?

March 10, 2020

The "Rights for Transportation Security Officers Act of 2020" seeks to ensure that all TSA emplo ...

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Did a Study Prove That Airport Scanners 'Rip Apart' Your DNA?

Feb. 24, 2017

To paraphrase the actual scientists involved with the research: "No."

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Muslim TSA Agent Screens a Nun

June 29, 2016

An old photograph showing a Muslim TSA agent screening a nun at an airport has nothing to do wit ...

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A white TSA agent in a blue shirt monitors passengers at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Terminal 1 on March 23, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Does Project 2025 call for privatizing TSA?

March 26, 2026

A number of recommendations from the Heritage Foundation's blueprint for a new federal governmen ...

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