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Current Shutdown
A new federal budget impasse triggers renewed calls for widespread airport screening privatization.
Record Shutdown
A 35-day shutdown leads to record TSA call-outs and highlights the vulnerability of federalized screening.
SPP Expansion
The Screening Partnership Program is opened to all U.S. airports following a successful pilot phase.
ATSA Enacted
President Bush signs the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, creating the TSA and the SPP.
As federal budget impasses continue to disrupt air travel, policymakers and airport authorities are increasingly exploring the privatization of security screening. Shifting from federal employees to private contractors under the Screening Partnership Program (SPP) could insulate aviation security from Washington's fiscal instability.