So far this year, Congress has held 21 hearings that either center on TSA oversight or involved TSA witnesses, according to TSA figures. Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) has cited his record taking on the TSA prominently in his campaign ads this cycle.

The fight has proceeded legislatively as well, most notably through Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and his pair of bills that would effectively end the TSA screening program as Americans know it and replace it with private operations. House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Mica has focused on what he deems bloated bureaucracy within the TSA ranks and fought hard to expand privatization opportunities in a recently passed Federal Aviation Administration bill, which opened up his hometown airport to privatization efforts.

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Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) has called for TSA Administrator John Pistole’s resignation, deeming the former FBI deputy director “totally inept” while Blackburn has attempted to dress down screening officers to make them look less like law enforcement personnel. Democrats too have attempted to reform TSA, with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) offering legislation that would establish consumer advocates to serve as a conduit between TSA officers and travelers — a response to claims from three elderly women who said they were strip-searched in December while passing through a New York airport.

The segment of the population most likely to agree with congressional outrage over the TSA is older Americans, who according to the Gallup poll held the least rosy view of the high-profile wing of the Homeland Security Department. A combined 45 percent of those polled 65 and older perceived TSA as excellent or good as compared with 49 percent who saw it only as fair or poor — a stark contrast to the 67 percent of those 18-29 who gave the TSA good or excellent marks. The TSA was established 11 years ago — which means some of those young adults may not remember the time before mandatory screening.

The Gallup poll surveyed 1,014 adults who live in the U.S. over the telephone during mid-July. The margin for error is plus or minus 4 percent for the total sample.

This article first appeared on POLITICO Pro at 5:28 p.m. on August 8, 2012.