Exactly. If the fingerprints and background check are critical components of security, then TSA is putting all of us at risk every time a pax is granted Precheck solely because his/her name is not on any terrorist databases. If this is a genuine security loophole, as TSA has been assuring us for years, then it should be closed immediately. 100%.

If you ask TSA about the horrific risk they are subjecting us to daily, they will assure us that the other 20 layers of security are sufficient to ensure that there's no threat to aviation security.

If those 20 layers of security plus a name-check against terrorist databases are sufficient, then I fail to see what fingerprints and background checks add to the process. They do add to the TSA's bottom line.

I think TSA wants that enrollment money really badly. Does it go towards executive bonuses?