The policy change sets up a fight with the union representing government workers after a seven-year agreement was ratified in 2024.

"Attempting to negate [TSA workers'] legally binding collective bargaining agreement now makes zero sense – it will only reduce morale and hamper the workforce," said Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, a Democrat from Mississippi and ranking member of the Committee on Homeland Security, in a statement on Friday.

A union representing Transportation Security Administration workers calls the Department of Homeland Security's decision to end the collective bargaining agreement with them an “unprovoked attack.”