TSA Shutdown Wasn’t About Money… It Was About Control

28 Mar 2026 · 10 min · 5 chapters

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In short

The episode argues the TSA “shutdown” and related airport security changes are about control and intimidation, not money or efficiency, linking it to Project 2025 proposals (TSA as national security provider, de-unionization, possible privatization) and to deploying ICE agents in airports.

Guests

Rashad (host/participant who says he experienced TSA pre-check working during a “convenient” day, but later saw severe lines) and another co-host/guest (describes flying through LaGuardia and seeing understaffing).

Key claims

ICE agents lack TSA training; privatization would remove unions and worker protections, enabling harsher rules; increased armed presence normalizes authoritarian governance and supports voter suppression.

Notable examples

LaGuardia line reportedly ~4,000 people with far fewer TSA booths; LaGuardia shut down day prior due to a fatal crash; AR-15s reportedly seen around airports.

Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.

Chapters

Tap a time to open that second in VO

Experiences with TSA Lines

2:59 to 4:50

Discussion about recent TSA experiences and long wait times at airports.

“But every day after that, it seemed like it's been a horrible experience.”

ICE Agents and TSA Crisis

4:50 to 9:10

Exploration of the role of ICE agents at airports and TSA's operational challenges.

“And that's why they're making so many bad decisions in the field.”

Discussion on Authoritarianism and Control

9:10 to 11:16

Dialogue on the implications of TSA's operations and a potential police state.

“So all these guys are so they're so against the union because the union, you have to actually, you know, follow some level of protocol.”

Critique of Political Dynamics

11:16 to 11:49

Criticism of political sides and their effects on society.

“But all you people that said probably 2025 was a hoax and it was a distraction.”

Reflections on Personal Journey and Resilience

14:06 to 14:20

The speaker reflects on personal growth and the importance of individual journeys.

“Are they adding more weight to their barbell than I am?”
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Transcript

Automatic transcript. May contain errors.

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2:26When you shop in store or online for easy drive up and go pickup or delivery restrictions apply. See website for full terms and conditions. Let's talk about this TSA thing. So, man, yo, they were so mad at me, Rashad. You went on a lucky day because, you know, I did my little video. Oh, yeah. I was like, yo, you're capping the line. And shout to everybody. I appreciate you. I got through fine. Like, I didn't even need to use clear. I just went through the TSA pre-check line. and they were like, oh, the day you went was convenient and you know people up there. And I'm like, they didn't get me through.

2:59There was nobody there. But every day after that, it seemed like it's been a horrible experience. I know you guys just flew out recently. How was your experience leaving New York? It was crazy. I mean, granted, LaGuardia Airport was shut down the day before because it was an airplane crash. Two people died, rest in peace. So that might have had something to do with it as well but it was definitely understaffed like you could see that every it was like for every one tsa agent there was two empty booths um but it was about 4 000 people in that line it was crazy i never saw a line like that before in the morning so i guess it's hit or miss because some people said look uh jfk was fine some people said later on in the day it got better so i guess it depends on what time you're flying what airport i i guess it just depends but i personally experienced it over 4 ,000 people on the line.

3:50I mean, we had priorities, so that helped out. It wasn't as bad. We still had to wait like 30 minutes in the priority line. But I definitely saw it. It's a real thing. It's not just a myth. I actually saw it with my own eyes. I saw it. How many hours early that you have to get to the airport? No, we got to the hours like three hours early. We didn't need to get there that early because like I said, we had to. So we could have done like two hours would have been fine. Yeah. Two hours would have been fine. Hour and a half would have been like just cutting it close. But long story short, there's this TSA crisis.

4:32Obviously people know about, and now they're sending ICE agents into airports. I didn't see ICE agents in LaGuardia, but I heard that in Newark. I heard they're in a bunch of other airports throughout, throughout America. so this goes back to the project 2025 because a lot of people like my whole thing is like the ice has not been trained to do their first job correctly ice agents these are people that were correctional officers these are people that were bounty hunters and it was like you know hey come here make six figures get benefits okay cool they they they weren't fully trained on what their job even is.

5:15And that's why they're making so many bad decisions in the field. So they wasn't trained on the first job that they're actually occupying. So you get, you get people that were not trained on the first job and you're sending them to an airport and that they have no training on that job at all. And that job is actually more training intensive than the first job. Like the ice agents job, the TSA is more training involved with that. like you actually have to know how to work a scanner how to use the machines like there's no machines that these ice agents are using they're not qualified at all like the idea is stupid it's like sending firefighters like oh we're just going to send our firefighters to the tsa like what what what does one have to do with the other what does what does an ice agent have to do with tsa pre-check security scanning machines what is that what does one have to do with the other.

6:08They have no correlation at all. But if you do, if you read project 2025 page 159, it talks about TSA should be treated as a national security provider. It also said TSA workforce should be de-unionized. It also says TSA could be privatized. So now it starts to make more sense because you're not looking at it from a standpoint of airport efficiency you're looking at it as a standpoint of how can we have law enforcement intimidation inside of an airport which obviously when you look at any form of immigration or whatever that's a hot spot people travel on airports so i think this was an opportunity because it's not really even about funding at a certain point, if you could fund ICE agents to be at an airport, they're getting paid.

7:13They're not working for free. But you're asking TSA agents to come and work for free. So it's more so about running a military regime in every part of life. It's like It's like authoritarian regime where you see you see people with machine guns in your school, in your church, in your in your hospital, in your airport. And that just becomes you. After a while, you get used to it and you stop questioning it. and now what was supposed to be two weeks turns into two years, turns into 10 years, turns into that's just a normal way of living now. Like now when we go to the airports, we see people with AR-15s that really have no reason because they're not serving the purpose of TSA PreCheck.

8:08They're just walking around with guns. So the purpose of them being there is not to make the TSA lines more efficient. They're not even trained to do that. is to have an intimidating presence of a police state. This is a police state. This is the beginning stages of a police state, an authoritarian rule. And this is a way to start to normalize that over the course of time. They talked about the midterm elections, that, okay, we can send them in the airport, we can send ICE to the midterm. Now, when you go to vote, you got people with machine guns in your local schools, in your local, you know, wherever you're voting, you're going to see people with masks, machine guns, asking for ID.

8:53It's a very intimidating presence. That's done for voter suppression. That's done to keep people in power. What would be the benefit of privatization?

9:12Well, there's no union. So you can do whatever you want. You can fire whoever you want. You can implement any rule you want. You can. You know, that's the whole point. That's why I like. So all these guys are so they're so against the union because the union, you have to actually, you know, follow some level of protocol. The workers have rights. You have to give them pensions. You have to give them retirement plans. You have to give them health benefits over and off. If you just have a bunch of freelance workers, that's just, you know, here today, going tomorrow. You don't have to do any of that from an economic standpoint, but you also don't have to have any chartered protocol to actually follow.

10:00So now you can actually just do really whatever you want to do. And if you don't, if you don't like it, they don't like it, then fire them, hire a bunch of new people. And you create an economy so bad that people don't have any other choice. But not to accept it. Exactly. Or hire incredibly young. I'm noticing a trend even in tech and some other companies. If you catch them early enough and let's say you give them a salary of one fifty two hundred, they're going to be indoctrinated through the philosophy that because you're paying them so well, they're not going to resist against the machine. because, of course, when you're older, you have some wisdom, you have some foresight.

10:42But I think this is just a continuation of what's been done post 9-11 anyway. Because we've lost a lot of privacy and freedom rights. This may be the cherry on top if they get this off, though. Yeah. Like 1984 was not this bad. In that book, in that Orwellian scenario, Like, we were afraid of Big Brother. We now pay for the tech that funds Big Brother. And then they take away every right and we don't even fight it anymore. Yeah. Yeah. What can you do? Stay woke. They even demonized that. That's a fact. But all you people that said probably 2025 was a hoax and it was a distraction. They've implemented every single thing that was in the book.

11:37You are T. Yep. And y 'all are quiet as hell now. Even those of you on that MAGA side. And a lot of y 'all who are pro MAGA, you're not benefiting from it. Oh, no. 100%. If you're MAGA tonight and you're in chat, put it in chat, how are you benefiting from this run of presidency? And I need some of y 'all to stop saying that they were paid by the leftists. I'm not paid by either side. Sorry. Sorry. You're going to have to get another talking point besides that. Sorry. 100%.

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From the publisher

"TSA crisis" is being utilized as an opportunity to normalize a militarized presence in public spaces, ultimately aiming for greater societal control rather than genuine security or financial efficiency.

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