The same people who took your shoes now want your face



The Trump administration recently ended the Transportation Security Administration’s outdated shoe-removal rule — a long-overdue rollback of post-9/11 security theater. But at the same time, it’s resisting a bipartisan push to rein in something far more intrusive: the agency’s unregulated use of facial recognition technology at airports.

The Traveler Privacy Protection Act — co-sponsored by Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) — would set limits on the TSA’s biometric surveillance program at airports.

Facial recognition checkpoints are already being piloted at major airports. TSA officials have made clear that their goal is to replace traditional IDs altogether.

Here’s what the bill does:

  • Restores consent: Manual ID checks would become the default again. Passengers would have to opt in to facial recognition. The TSA would be required to notify travelers clearly that they can opt out.
  • Limits retention: Most biometric data would have to be deleted within 24 hours.
  • Restricts sharing: The TSA could no longer hand over biometric data to other federal agencies or private entities, except in very narrow circumstances.

The legislation follows a bipartisan letter sent in November 2023 to the Department of Homeland Security inspector general, requesting a full audit of the TSA’s biometric collection, retention, deletion, and cybersecurity protocols. The letter was co-authored by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas).

“TSA has not provided Congress with evidence that facial recognition technology is necessary to catch fraudulent documents, decrease wait times, or stop terrorists from boarding planes,” the senators wrote.

Despite that, the TSA appears to be quietly lobbying against the bill.

When asked directly whether the TSA was fighting the legislation, Kennedy said: “The short answer is yes; the long answer is hell yes.”

Behind-the-scenes pressure

The Senate Commerce Committee had planned to mark up the bill just before the August recess. But at the last minute, the legislation was pulled from the docket.

Officially, the travel industry raised concerns. But Politico reported that behind the scenes, TSA leadership — backed by political appointees — played a central role in derailing the bill. Republican staffers familiar with the process said the agency helped coordinate opposition that ultimately killed the markup.

It’s not hard to see why TSA brass would resist oversight.

Acting TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill previously served as TSA chief of staff during part of Trump’s first term. After leaving government, she joined BigBear.ai, a company specializing in facial recognition and identity verification powered by artificial intelligence. She eventually became the firm’s president.

Now she’s back — nominated to lead the TSA for the duration of Trump’s administration.

AI, contracts, and civil liberties

Under McNeill’s leadership, the TSA has pushed to expand its use of AI-powered surveillance tools. In 2023, officials openly discussed plans to eliminate boarding passes and photo IDs altogether in favor of biometric scans.

“Imagine embarking on a journey where the seamless orchestration of technology transforms traditional security checkpoints,” said Kristin Ruiz, the TSA’s deputy chief information officer, at an AI summit last year. “AI-powered advancements signify an evolution driven by data science, analytics, and intelligent automation.”

That vision may sound efficient. But it’s also a red flag for anyone who doesn’t want American airports to become nodes in a Chinese-style surveillance state.

The TSA isn’t alone. The Department of Homeland Security has been inking massive contracts with tech companies specializing in surveillance.

Palantir Technologies, co-founded by Trump ally Peter Thiel, has landed a $1 billion contract with the DHS. The company also has similar contracts with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Pentagon, now worth a combined $10 billion.

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Photo by DAVID MCNEW/AFP via Getty Images

Palantir’s market cap now exceeds $400 billion — bigger than Home Depot or Coca-Cola. Since its first DHS deal was announced in April, the company’s stock price has jumped 131%.

It doesn’t need a marketing team. The federal government is its customer.

Palantir has also benefited from the revolving door.

  • Gregory Barbaccia, Palantir’s former head of intelligence, now serves as the chief information officer of the federal government.
  • Clark Minor, a longtime Palantir employee, now holds the same role at HHS.
  • Jacob Helberg, a senior adviser to Palantir CEO Alex Karp, was appointed to lead the State Department’s economic and trade policy.

This is the ecosystem driving the TSA’s resistance to reform: private contractors, political insiders, and intelligence bureaucrats profiting from biometric surveillance — at your expense.

The stakes

Facial recognition checkpoints are already being piloted at major airports. TSA officials have made clear that their goal is to replace traditional IDs altogether. And if this bill fails, there may be no legal limit to how far the agency can go.

Congress has a choice: Protect passengers or protect the Big Tech-Big Government industrial complex.

At the very least, senators should not confirm McNeill without hard, enforceable commitments: clear opt-outs, data deletion requirements, and strict limits on sharing and retention. The federal government should not be harvesting and storing your face just so a contractor can hit its quarterly earnings target.

You don’t build a free society by handing over the keys to Big Tech and hoping the companies don’t abuse them.

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Trump admin cuts TSA union deal to remove 'bureaucratic hurdles'



President Donald Trump's Department of Homeland Security announced Friday that it has terminated its collective bargaining agreement with the Transportation Security Administration's more than 50,000 security officers.

According to a DHS press release, the administration hopes the move will remove "bureaucratic hurdles that will strengthen workforce agility [and] enhance productivity and resiliency, while also jumpstarting innovation."

'Removing the constraints of collective bargaining.'

The department argued that "gaps in benefit programs" had been exploited by some, including one instance where a transportation security officer requested sick leave more than half a year in advance.

"TSA has more people doing full-time union work than we have performing screening functions at 86% of our airports. Of the 432 federalized airports, 374 airports have fewer than 200 TSA Officers to [perform] screening functions," the DHS contended.

It noted that nearly 200 employees receiving government pay work "full-time on union matters."

The Trump administration's DHS slammed the TSA's unionization for allowing "poor performers" to remain on the job and forcing "merit-based performance" to take a back seat.

"By eliminating the collective bargaining agreement, Transportation Security Officers will now have opportunities based on their performance, not longevity or union membership," the DHS declared.

A department spokesperson stated that the union has failed to represent its workers or their interests.

"The Trump Administration is committed [to] returning to merit-based hiring and firing policies," the spokesperson said. "This action will ensure Americans will have a more effective and modernized workforce[] across the nation's transportation networks. TSA is renewing its commitment to providing a quick and secure travel process for Americans."

TSA Administrator Adam Stahl applauded DHS Secretary Kristi Noem for "removing the constraints of collective bargaining."

The American Federation of Government Employees, a union representing more than 80,000 federal government workers, called the DHS' decision an "unprovoked attack" and a "clear retaliation."

AFGE National President Everett Kelley stated, "47,000 Transportation Security Officers show up at over 400 airports across the country every single day to make sure our skies are safe for air travel. Many of them are veterans who went from serving their country in the armed forces to wearing a second uniform protecting the homeland and ensuring another terrorist attack like Sept. 11 never happens again."

Kelley accused Trump's administration and Noem of violating the workers' "right to join a union."

"They gave as a justification a completely fabricated claim about union officials — making clear this action has nothing to do with efficiency, safety, or homeland security. This is merely a pretext for attacking the rights of regular working Americans across the country because they happen to belong to a union," Kelley continued. "Our union has been out in front challenging this administration's unlawful actions targeting federal workers, both in the legal courts and in the court of public opinion. Now our TSA officers are paying the price with this clearly retaliatory action."

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'Deep concern'

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Mike Lee subjected to TSA pat down days after calling to nix the agency: 'Maybe it's a coincidence'



Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah noted in a post on X that days after calling for the abolition of the Transportation Security Administration, he was subjected to a pat down.

"Update: days after calling to abolish TSA, I got 'randomly selected' for the needlessly slow, thorough TSA screening & patdown. Maybe it's a coincidence. Or not. Impossible to know. That's part of the problem with having a federal agency in charge of airport security," Lee wrote in a Thursday post on X.

— (@)

In a Monday post, Lee, who has served in the Senate since early 2011, called for nixing the TSA and suggested that airlines could assume the responsibility of ensuring the security of their flights.

"It's time to abolish the TSA. Airlines can and will secure their own planes if a federal agency doesn't do it for them. They'll do it better than TSA, without undermining the Constitution and with less groping—showing more respect for passengers," he wrote.

The agency was created in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. "The Aviation and Transportation Security Act, passed by the 107th Congress and signed on November 19, 2001, established TSA," according to tsa.gov.

In response to Lee's post on Thursday, someone tweeted, "I had the major pat down last time I flew and I felt violated, even though it was a woman. It was really bad."

— (@)

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Mike Lee calls for abolishing the TSA



Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah advocated the idea of abolishing the Transportation Security Administration, suggesting that airlines would do a better job of conducting security screenings.

"Air-travel security need not depend on TSA. Airlines have many compelling reasons to keep weapons out of planes. They'd do so if a federal agency didn't do it for them—probably better than TSA, without implicating the Constitution, and in a manner more respectful to passengers," Lee tweeted.

"It's time to abolish the TSA. Airlines can and will secure their own planes if a federal agency doesn't do it for them. They'll do it better than TSA, without undermining the Constitution and with less groping—showing more respect for passengers," Lee wrote.

The agency was established in the in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. "The Aviation and Transportation Security Act, passed by the 107th Congress and signed on November 19, 2001, established TSA," according to tsa.gov, which indicates that the agency's mission is to "protect the nation's transportation systems to ensure freedom of movement for people and commerce."

In response to Lee's post advocating for abolishing the TSA, Clay Travis tweeted, "Love this idea."

"Senator Lee, I have cerebral palsy and a fairly sizable YouTube channel. I am going to do a video describing the unconscionably invasive practices handicapped people must regularly endure when going through TSA - even those like myself who have TSA Precheck," tweeted Justin Peters, who indicates on his X profile that he is an evangelist, teacher, and author.

— (@)

Amy McGrath, a Democrat who lost to incumbent Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell in the 2020 U.S. Senate election in Kentucky, included an eye-rolling emoji when she seemingly sarcastically tweeted, "I'm sure the airlines would love to pick up the cost of metal detectors and I'm sure they won't pass that cost down to travelers at all…"

— (@)

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'Putting our national security at risk'