Suffolk Reporter

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Representatives Nick LaLota (NY-01), Dutch Ruppersberger (MD-02), Carlos Giménez (FL-28), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Clay Higgins (LA-03), Robert Garcia (CA-42), and Laurel Lee (FL-15) introduced the bipartisan Stop the Scam Act. This legislation aims to end the diversion of the Passenger Security Fee (PSF), also known as the September 11th Security Fee, to the general Treasury. The bill proposes establishing a new specific fund derived from the PSF, which airlines collect when customers buy airline tickets originating in the U.S., to enable the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to acquire new and modernized technology, including Credential Authentication Technology (CAT) machines and Computing Tomography (CT).

“The Passenger Security Fee is a total scam being perpetrated on American families that must come to an immediate end. Despite the name of the fee collection program, over $1 billion of that revenue collected under the guise of more security has been diverted to the Treasury for expenditures having zero to do with keeping our skies safe,” said LaLota. “We have a duty to the American people to be truthful about where this revenue is going and ensure our airports remain safe and secure for decades. With bipartisan support, it’s time to end the diversion and pass the Stop the Scam Act.”

“Our Transportation Security Administration already screens more than 2 million people per day at airports around the country,” said Ruppersberger. “More passengers mean more threats. This bill will shorten wait times for passengers and, more importantly, make them safer by ensuring funds designated for airport security are not diverted for other purposes.”

“Proud to join my friend & colleague on the Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Nick LaLota in introducing this legislation to protect Americans at our nation’s airports,” said Giménez, Chair of the Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security. “As Mayor of Miami-Dade County, I oversaw operations at one of America’s busiest airports and understand firsthand how we must streamline the passenger experience and prioritize security at our airports across the country.”

The Passenger Security Fee is $5.60 for a one-way ticket originating in the U.S. and $11.20 for a round-trip ticket. The revenue does not derive from taxpayer dollars but rather from fees passengers pay when purchasing plane tickets. Revenue from this fee totaled nearly $3.8 billion in 2022 and is deposited into the Aviation Security Capital Fund, historically used to offset security expenses. However, language included in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 allowed one-third of this revenue to be diverted to the general Treasury for deficit reduction.

Last year, TSA informed Congress that based on past, present, and projected funding levels, it would take until 2049 for TSA to meet full operational capability for CAT machines; similarly, it would take until 2042 to meet standards for Checkpoint Property Screening Systems including CT technology. Unfortunately, in FY24 Appropriations bill discussions, funding for security checkpoint technology was reduced from $80 million to $35 million.

This legislation seeks to end such diversions established by previous acts and ensure that subsequent funds raised through PSF go towards a newly established Aviation Security Checkpoint Technology Fund (ASCT) dedicated specifically to modernizing checkpoint security technology without raising any fees or taxes.

LaLota has consistently criticized PSF as misleading and called upon Congress for reforms. In May 2023, LaLota along with Ruppersberger introduced an earlier version aiming at similar reforms through establishing an Aviation Security Checkpoint Technology Fund within DHS.