TSA Launches Gold+ Program To Expand Private Airport Screening Role

TSA held an industry day at its Springfield, Virginia, headquarters on Thursday, May 21, 2026, to brief airports and contractors on its new Gold+ program expanding private airport screening.^[1]

Under Gold+, participating airports could hire private contractors that own and manage screening machines and deploy technologies such as artificial intelligence, while TSA would continue oversight.^[1] The agency and the Trump administration said the plan would let airports tailor security and help offset TSA staffing shortfalls exposed during the recent Homeland Security funding shutdown.^[1] The initiative is billed as an evolution of the Screening Partnership Program, which covers 20 U.S. airports including San Francisco and Kansas City.^[1] The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents TSA officers, warned Gold+ could mean lower pay, reduced transparency and loss of direct government control over critical security technology.^[1]

The Screening Partnership Program lets airports contract out passenger screening to private companies; it now operates at 20 airports, and Gold+ would broaden contractor authority to own equipment and use AI.^[1] Unions and some lawmakers say that expands privatization and risks lower pay and less transparency, while the administration frames the move as a fix for chronic staffing gaps.^[1]

1. NPR