WASHINGTON, July 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate voted on

Thursday to advance the nomination of David Cummins, a ​senior

vice president of ​Serco, to head the Transportation

Security Administration as the Trump administration pushes to

privatize screeners at smaller airports.

President Donald Trump proposed in April cutting more ​than

9,400 workers and just over $1.5 billion, or about 20%, from the

annual budget of ⁠the 60,000-employee TSA that handles airport

security operations.

A final vote is set for next week. Serco ( SECCF ) offers engineering,

IT, and training services to federal, state and local

governments, and commercial customers.

Trump also proposed requiring smaller airports to use

private security, a move that would cut the TSA payroll by more

than 4,500 jobs in a first step toward privatizing the agency

created after the ​September 11, 2001, attacks.

Airports in Tampa, Des Moines, Iowa, and Charleston, South

Carolina, said last week they were planning to proceed with

privatizing airport security. About 20 airports, including those

in San Francisco, Kansas City and Sarasota, Florida, have long

used private security screeners.

Trump fired ​TSA head David Pekoske on the president's first day

in office in 2025 ​and did not nominate a replacement for 16

months. Trump had nominated Pekoske during his first term and

former President Joe Biden nominated him for a second five-year

term.

A lengthy government shutdown this spring forced 50,000 TSA

workers to go without pay for six weeks, resulting in major

disruptions, including airport security waits extending four

hours or more.

Airlines for America, which represents major U.S. airlines,

said in May that it opposes the White House proposal to require

smaller airports to use private ​security screeners instead of

the TSA.

Last year, the White House said, "TSA has consistently

failed audits while implementing intrusive screening measures

that violate Americans' privacy and dignity."

The Homeland Security Department said in September it was

removing five senior officials on suspicion of targeting Biden's

political opponents with a now-abolished aviation security

watchlist.

TSA's "Quiet Skies" program, scrapped in June 2025, had

required enhanced screening for some air passengers deemed to be

a higher security risk.