The officer who checks your ID at the start of the TSA line will now be doing it on their feet. The Transportation Security Administration confirmed that document checkers can no longer sit while reviewing boarding passes and IDs. The American Federation of Government Employees TSA Council 100, the union representing screeners, said chairs are being removed from checkpoints nationwide, and it has criticized the change.
Where the Chairs Are Coming Out
The chairs are being taken from the travel document checker podiums at the entrance to security checkpoints, the union said. According to AFGE TSA Council 100, removal has already begun in most commercial airports. The council said it learned of the decision from its own members, and one union leader said neither the AFGE nor any of its local chapters received formal notification.
What the Union Is Saying
“Basic ergonomic and safety support for officers that stand and walk on hard surfaces all day” is how AFGE TSA Council 100 described the chairs in a statement. The union called the removal a “disregard for workers’ rights and safety.” It also said TSA is treating the matter as a privilege, when the council argues it is basic safety and common decency for the workforce.
TSA Defends the Decision
TSA defended the decision, saying document checkers are the first to deal with travelers and that standing will make the experience better for passengers. The agency called it a “welcome change” that supports its security posture and its commitment to hospitality by keeping officers alert. TSA also said all officers must meet fitness for duty requirements to handle a role the agency describes as vital to national security.
A New TSA Leader Is in Place
The Senate voted in August to confirm David Cummins as head of the TSA. Reuters identified him as a senior vice president at Serco, a UK-based multinational that operates public services on behalf of governments. His confirmation followed a 16-month gap in which President Donald Trump, who fired previous TSA head David Pekoske on his first day in office in 2025, named no replacement.
The Shutdown Before the Change
A lengthy government shutdown this spring forced 50,000 TSA workers to go without pay for six weeks, Reuters reported, and the disruptions that followed were major. Airport security waits extended four hours or more. TSA, the agency that handles airport security operations, has 60,000 employees, according to Reuters, so the unpaid group made up a large share of its workforce.
A Proposed Budget Cut
President Donald Trump proposed in April cutting more than 9,400 workers from the TSA, along with just over $1.5 billion, or about 20%, from its annual budget, according to Reuters. The agency handles airport security operations at US airports and was created after the September 11, 2001, attacks. That proposal was one of two Reuters described, and the second involved smaller airports.
Private Security at Smaller Airports
Reuters reported that President Donald Trump also proposed requiring smaller airports to turn to private security. The plan would cut the TSA payroll by more than 4,500 jobs and mark a first step toward privatizing the agency. Private security screeners already work at about 20 airports, including those in San Francisco, Kansas City, and Sarasota, Florida, which have used them for years.
Inside the Horizon 25 Program
CNN reported that TSA Administrator David Cummins has held meetings to push key strategic initiatives forward under a program called Horizon 25. The program covers an expanded TSA PreCheck, new technology, privatization of some checkpoints, and improvements for travelers. Announcing it, Cummins said TSA does not have to choose between a secure checkpoint, an efficient one, and an “elevated passenger experience.”
What Remains Unclear
The bigger question is how the chair change fits into TSA’s overhaul. CNN reported it is unclear whether requiring officers to stand relates to Horizon 25, the strategy Cummins has been advancing as the agency nears its 25th anniversary in November. TSA’s own statement frames the change around hospitality and alertness at the front of the checkpoint, while the union has raised concerns about ergonomics and safety.
