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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 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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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