The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) has filed a lawsuit to force the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to turn over records about the agency’s new privatization program, TSA Gold+. AFGE is the exclusive union representative of 47,000 transportation security officers (TSOs) at 400 airports across the country.
AFGE says TSA failed to formally notify the union of Gold+ until after a Freedom of Information Act request was filed. “TSA had been building and selling the program for months before that,” AFGE says. “In August 2025, the agency asked vendors for information to support new Gold+ public-private screening mode acquisitions. On March 26, 2026, two TSA officials briefed the Airports Council International conference on Gold+.”
According to AFGE, TSA intends to launch Gold+ at three airports next year: Tampa, Charleston and Des Moines.
In related news, new TSA Administrator sets out priorities
