Recent chaos at airports from government shutdown helps make case for privatizing TSA

The Competitive Enterprise Institute says the recent Department of Homeland Security shutdown that squeezed U.S. airport security personnel proves it is time to privatize all airport screening at U.S. airports.

The libertarian think tank said that, even before the partial shutdown of DHS, too many complaints about the Transportation Security Administration from most interactions over the years, and that, under normal circumstances, the TSA lines did not suddenly materialize during the funding shutdown.

“One way to address these inefficiencies is privatization. The case for privatizing airport screening rests on incentives and accountability,” CEI said.

“The TSA’s monopoly structure, combined with its conflicting role as both regulator and operator, weakens competitive pressure and suppresses innovation. Costly and often ineffective procedures persist alongside documented failures in screening performance.”

CEI argued that through the privatization of TSA, which is already in place at several airports across the country, screening providers compete for the job and can be replaced if they perform badly.

Many of the privatized elements already exist in the TSA’s Screening Partnership Program (SPP), and the think tank offers a path forward through incremental reforms for Congress to pursue to improve airport security within the existing framework.

The first would be to create an opt-out system for SPP, decentralize the contractor selection from the TSA and improve transparency of TSA processes of how screening policies are implemented and evaluated.

FAIR backs lawsuit against in-state tuition for illegal immigrants

The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) filed a brief Monday in support of the Trump administration’s lawsuit to shut down a Virginia law granting in-state tuition to illegal immigrants.

Virginia allows illegal immigrants not only to attend its public universities but also to live in the state and pay only in-state tuition. At the same time, out-of-state American citizens will be charged a much higher tuition cost.

FAIR noted that Congress has passed a law against this practice, giving Americans from any state an entitlement to pay the same in-state tuition to another state’s public universities as illegal immigrants who live in that state pay based on their residence.

“For Virginia, it’s not enough to let illegal aliens — who are not permitted to live in the United States at all — into its state schools, and apply lower admission standards to in-state illegal aliens than to out-of-state Americans,” said Christopher J. Hajec, deputy general counsel of FAIR.

“Even after all that, Virginia also lets them pay much less in tuition than the out-of-state Americans have to pay. That’s where federal law and its supremacy come in, however. We hope the court sees that Congress’s law against this practice is clearly constitutional, and rules for the United States.”

Chamber urges House to combat organized retail crime

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce threw its support on Monday behind bipartisan House legislation that pushes back on organized retail crime.

Known as the Combatting Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA), the legislation addresses surges in retail crime and cargo theft that are putting the nation’s businesses and consumers at risk.

The Chamber that U.S. businesses continue to struggle with rising business-centered crimes, and “smash and grab” have been persistent problems.

The bill focuses on increased coordination in curbing retail crime and cargo theft.

“Crime numbers often fluctuate from year to year, but the long-term trends are clear, with larcenies involving shoplifting having doubled since the 1970’s, according to statistics from the nonprofit Council for Criminal Justice,” Neil Bradley, the U.S. Chamber’s executive vice president and head of strategic advocacy, wrote to House lawmakers.

“The U.S. business community stands ready to work with Congress to advance this bipartisan legislation. We urge the House to pass H.R. 2853 when it comes to the floor later this week.”

Mr. Bradley said that retail crime creates “higher prices for consumers,” forcing stores to shutter and leaving communities without vital goods and services.

“No business should have to close because of crime,” he said, adding that cargo theft costs the American economy up to $35 billion a year, resulting in higher costs throughout the supply chain and ultimately impacting small business shippers and retailers.  

The bill would establish a new Organized Retail and Supply Chain Crime Coordination Center. The center would align efforts, expertise, and resources across local, state, federal, and private-sector partners, improving information sharing and enabling more coordinated investigations and prosecutions.

CORCA would also create a unified, national response that builds on the more than 30 state laws enacted since 2022.

ACLU cheers Montana court upholding Election Day voter registration

ACLU praised the Montana First Judicial District Court in Lewis and Clark County for its order stopping a new law that would have restricted Election Day voter registration.

The ACLU said Montana voters will not “lose eight critical hours of voter registration on Election Day.”

“The State of Montana could not provide a compelling government interest justifying this voter suppression law because there simply isn’t one,” said Alex Rate, legal director at ACLU of Montana. “Election Day voter registration is secure, it’s fair, and — with this ruling — it continues to be protected in Montana.”

The suit was brought by the ACLU of Montana, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Native American Rights Fund.

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