Someone realized there's a bucket load of money to be made by providing private security to replace TSA. The real money will be at the big airports, of course, and those airports are the best places to get everyone's attention.

Coincidentally, TSA claims to be aggressively marketing the Pre solution while keeping Pre lanes shut down and staging a general work slowdown. Even at the airports most impacted, there continue to be reports of pax standing around while TSOs indulge in personal conversations or check their cellphones - zero sense of urgency on the part of workers or management. This attitude and the outright contempt displayed at AskTSA reinforce the public's negative perception of TSA.

Why would the top folks at TSA be so unconcerned about the further decline in the agency's reputation and the threats of privatization? Perhaps they have a personal stake in privatization.

It wouldn't be the first time an out-going head of TSA was setting up his post-retirement income stream.