TSA fee hike unlikely to be approved, key GOP lawmakers say

WASHINGTON – President Trump’s proposal to increase airline ticket fees for the Transportation Security Administration is a “budget gimmick” that is unlikely to be approved, according to key Republican lawmakers.

The Department of Homeland Security budget released Tuesday anticipated $530 million from raising the TSA fee on each connecting flight by $1 to $6.60, to pay for aviation security.

Administration officials said the fee was one of the tough trade-offs in setting priorities for TSA, which could hire 629 more checkpoint screeners to meet a projected 4% increase in travelers during the next year.

But the chairmen of the House and Senate Appropriations subcommittees on homeland security, which decide how much to spend on the department, each said the fee hike was unlikely to be approved before the start of the fiscal year on Oct. 1.

“Many of the choices made in this budget put the subcommittee in a difficult position that assumes statutory changes to programs that Congress would almost certainly be unable to enact before the fiscal year,” Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., said Thursday about the TSA fee. “This budget fails to take into consideration many practical realities.”

During a budget hearing, Boozman told John Kelly, secretary of Homeland Security, that lawmakers would consult with the administration on changes.

“We are not going to be able to fund all the priorities it outlines,” Boozman said.

Rep. John Carter, R-Texas, offered a similar warning Wednesday to Kelly, who didn’t respond specifically about TSA fees at either hearing.

“I’m surprised and disappointed that the administration chose to perpetuate the last administration’s bad habit of proposing fees increased for TSA and using them as offset, despite knowing the increase is unlikely to become law because there is no authorization for that,” Carter said. “I remain concerned about reliance on budget gimmicks.”