U.S. Sens. Edward Markey (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) recently introduced legislation to secure pay for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
The Funding for Aviation Screeners and Threat Elimination Restoration (FASTER) Act — would open up new avenues of payment to the agency so as to offset any closure of funding presented by shutdowns. It would also restrict Congress from looting such funds for other purposes. It would repurpose passenger security fees to go solely toward aviation security and open the September 11 Security Fee revenue to the TSA in times of lapsed federal funding, so staff would not need to work unpaid.
“The recent government shutdown underscored the importance of a strong TSA and well-funded aviation infrastructure,” Blumenthal said. “The American people rightly expect the September 11th Security Fee be used for its intended purpose: to support the TSA and aviation security measures we all rely on to keep our families and skies safe. This bill will prevent these funds from being raided for other uses, bolstering TSA’s ability to keep the traveling public safe, reducing congestion at our nation’s airports, and securing funding for the salaries of TSA agents—even during a shutdown.”
The TSA has had one-third of its airline passenger security fee revenue diverted to other government projects since 2013. This year alone, that would mean as much as $1.36 billion in funding lost to them, for other projects’ gain.