Flight Fees Should Fund TSA. So Why Aren't They Getting Paid?
Every time you buy a plane ticket there's a $5.60 charge buried in the total — a security fee established after the September 11 attacks specifically to fund TSA operations. The idea was simple: the people using the service should pay for it rather than pulling from the general government budget.
Over $4 billion gets collected in those fees every year. TSA workers are sleeping in their cars.
Those two facts existing at the same time requires some explaining.
Where the Money Actually Goes
Here's the problem. Of the $4 billion-plus collected annually in passenger security fees, only $250 million can be used directly by TSA. The rest goes straight into the Treasury Department's general fund — meaning the money you paid specifically for airport security is being spent on other things entirely.
It gets worse. A 2013 budget act diverted an additional chunk of that security fee revenue toward reducing the federal deficit.
"Every time you buy a ticket and you walk through the TSA line, Congress is taking a third of the money — a billion dollars a year — and putting it towards something that has nothing to do with aviation security," said Erik Hansen, senior vice president of the US Travel Association.
To make up the difference between what TSA actually receives from security fees and what it costs to run the agency, Congress appropriates additional money from the general fund. That's the part that dried up when the partial government shutdown hit the Department of Homeland Security on February 14.
No appropriation. No paycheck. Show up anyway because you're essential.
What That Looks Like on the Ground
TSA workers typically earn between $60,000 and $75,000 a year, with starting salaries around $40,000. A decent living for many, but not wealthy by any stretch. And not the kind of income that survives multiple missed paychecks.
"Numerous employees have reported to me that their bank accounts are at zero or negative," said Johnny Jones, a Dallas-based TSA worker and union official. "No funds for daycare, no funds for food. They just want to know why the hell they can't get paid when we have money to shoot missiles into other countries."
Some workers are picking up second jobs. Some are staying at the airport between shifts to save gas money. Others have lost housing entirely after missing rent payments on month-to-month leases.
More than 300 TSA officers have quit since mid-February. The ones who stayed are managing record spring break crowds without a paycheck while airports scramble to fill the gaps with gift card drives and food pantries. Denver International is asking the public to donate grocery and gas cards. Seattle-Tacoma set up its own food pantry for federal workers.
The Bottom Line
Passengers are paying billions specifically so TSA workers can do their jobs safely. Congress is redirecting most of that money elsewhere, patching the gap with appropriations that disappear the moment there's a shutdown.
The system was broken long before February 14. The shutdown just made it impossible to ignore.
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