SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Passengers pay about $11 per round-trip flight to fund the Transportation Security Administration in fees, but most of that money does not actually go to TSA agents.
Instead, a 2013 budget decision redirected those fees to help reduce the federal budget deficit. Because of this, TSA workers have gone 38 days without a paycheck during the ongoing budget fight between Democrats and Republicans, while ICE agents are still being paid.
According to Congress.gov, the Department of Homeland Security is funded mostly by an annual appropriations process, which is currently in flux. DHS consists of many departments, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the TSA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Coast Guard.
While ICE specifically received funding in a previous bill that will last the agency years, TSA workers rely mostly on the annual appropriations process. This means they only get paid when Congress approves the DHS budget.
"Democrats have offered an off-ramp for Republicans to say let’s continue negotiation about ICE agents, but let’s pass a budget just to fund the TSA," Kousser said. "Republicans realize if they do that, that the impetus and public pressure for a deal will be lessened," Thad Kousser with UCSD said.
The TSA is just one part of the picture, as many other departments vital for national security are also impacted by the budget standoff.
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