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Most travelers don’t know who pays TSA officers. Here’s a breakdown
About 61,000 TSA employees remain unpaid during the shutdown as $1.6 billion in passenger security fees are diverted to the Treasury general fund, limiting TSA’s direct funding.
- About 61,000 TSA employees are working unpaid during the partial government shutdown at more than 430 commercial airports, forced to remain on duty as essential workers despite the funding lapse.
- Airlines collect the September 11 Security Fee at booking—$5.60 per one-way trip, capped at $11.20 round trip—and pass revenue to Congress, which appropriates it as discretionary spending rather than dedicating it directly to TSA operations.
- In 2023, security fee collections hit $4.6 billion, of which approximately $1.6 billion was diverted, according to DWU Consulting; only $250 million is directly usable by TSA for limited security costs.
- President Donald Trump said ICE agents will deploy to US airports Monday if lawmakers fail to reach a DHS funding agreement, while Sen. Patty Murray, vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said Republicans blocked a measure to pay TSA workers.
- Legislation allowing the passenger security fee to fund TSA salaries would "vastly change the makeup" of the agency, Erik Hansen, senior vice president and head of government relations for the US Travel Association, said. Unlike the federal gas tax, which funds the Highway Trust Fund directly during shutdowns, TSA fees require Congressional appropriation.
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15 Articles
While many travelers face long, winding security lines across the U.S. during the partial shutdown of the government, many may not realize the complicated journey the money is going through until they reach the paychecks of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents. There are about 61,000 TSA employees currently trapped in the middle, while Congress remains stuck in a stalemate over funding from the Department of Homeland Security,…
Most travelers don’t know who pays TSA officers. Here’s a breakdown
Just as many travelers face long, winding security lines across the US during the partial government shutdown, many may not realize the complicated path money takes to reach Transportation Security Administration officers’ paychecks.
·Atlanta, United States
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Total News Sources15
Leaning Left2Leaning Right1Center12Last UpdatedBias Distribution80% Center
Bias Distribution
- 80% of the sources are Center
80% Center
13%
C 80%
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