Airport Alert: Senate Democrats on the Appropriations Committee Release FY25 Funding Recommendations for DHS
Senate Democrats on Appropriations Committee Release FY25 Funding Recommendations for DHS
November 14, 2024
Democrats on the Senate Appropriations Committee released their proposed funding recommendations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for fiscal year 2025 (FY25). In total, the bill provides $66.16 billion in discretionary funding for DHS, including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
While these proposals are far from being enacted, AAAE and airport advocacy in support of additional TSA and CBP funding were successful with Senate Democrats. The Chair’s mark proposes to restore funding for the law enforcement officer (LEO) reimbursement grant program, would require TSA to continue to staff exit lanes, and calls for the restoration of more than half the funding for state and local-led canine teams. The report accompanying the bill also includes language directing TSA to delay the aviation worker screening requirement by one year and reassess its benefits and costs on airports. For CBP, the Senate draft measure proposes to fund 1,000 additional officers.
There is no plan for the full Senate Appropriations Committee to consider the bill. Instead, these funding and policy recommendations will help inform ongoing negotiations between the House and Senate on a final FY25 DHS/TSA/CBP spending bill.
Notable funding recommendations and report language from the Senate draft include the following:
Transportation Security Administration
The Senate bill calls for a total of $11.9 billion for TSA, $201.2 million below the administration's budget request and $777.5 million above the FY24 enacted level. In making its funding recommendation, the Chair’s mark acknowledges that “TSA continues to witness record-breaking travel days and daily average enplanements of 2.5 million passengers.” After factoring fee collections totaling $4.4 billion, the net discretionary funding for TSA is $6.4 billion, $163.1 million less than the request, but $371 million above the FY24 enacted level.
Notable items for TSA:
The report that accompanies the bill contains a brief TSA discussion that highlights additional recommendations. Of note:
Aviation Worker Screening: The committee report includes language expressing concern about TSA’s aviation worker screening amendment, which is very similar to the House language written before the worker screening requirement went into full effect. The Senate report states that “The Committee recognizes TSA’s authority to deter and detect threats to airport security. TSA recently issued an Airport Security Program (ASP) amendment that requires airports to significantly increase airport-performed physical screening of employees and procure explosive detection screening (EDS) equipment for the first time. The Committee is concerned that these new mandates impose an undue burden on airport operators and are being implemented without conducting a thorough cost-benefit analysis or risk assessment to justify the change. The Committee urges TSA to delay implementation of the National Amendment for no less than 1 year and to reassess the amendment’s implementation, including through soliciting a formal round of notice and comment to examine the benefits to aviation security and the full financial and operational impacts of this proposal on airports.”
Identity Risk and Security Management: The report “supports cost-effective development of systems that support the use of biometric identity validation tools by both the private and public sector to improve security, the passenger experience, and operational efficiency at the checkpoint. The Committee directs TSA to continue support of pilot deployment at key airports to further advance the necessary infrastructure and investment to support these operations.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
In total, the bill provides $19.72 billion for CBP, $3.16 billion above the budget request and $102 million above the FY24 enacted level. Key highlights from the CBP section of the bill and report include:
CBP Officers: The bill includes funding to hire 1,000 new officers to increase capacity at ports of entry, reduce wait times, and prevent the entry of illicit items. This is 850 more officers than requested by the administration or funded in the House-passed bill. The report encourages “CBP to ensure appropriate staffing levels are maintained at the top 10 U.S. air ports of entry, as determined by passenger enplanements as measured by the Federal Aviation Administration.”
CBP Retirements: The report “notes that CBP is projecting a ‘‘retirement’’ cliff as a large number of CBP officers will be eligible for retirement over the next few years.” CBP is directed to brief the committee about those projections, what steps the agency is taking to manage the risks associated with a loss in workforce, and the consequences of inaction on the agency’s operational capabilities, including data on impacts to trade, travel, and economic, and security impacts.
Overtime Cap: The bill retains the overtime cap at $45,000 for CBP officers and continues to permit the Secretary to waive this cap on an individual basis in the case of immigration emergencies.
Reimbursable Service Programs: The FY24 appropriations explanatory statement directed CBP to provide each air, land, and sea port operator with information on baseline service levels and report to the committee quarterly on its adherence to these baseline levels. The report highlights that these reports have not met these requirements. In future reports, the committee directs that CBP shall address staffing shortages, requirements for facility and security upgrades, and plans for technology recapitalization; the process used to decide how initiatives are funded; a justification for the scope of the requests; and how CBP will negotiate with port operators and incorporate their feedback into the development of plans to address future facility and security needs.
Use of AI: Operations: The bill provides $160 million for investments in cloud migration and software to further adoption of AI capabilities into CBP operations.
AAAE Advocacy
Ultimately, lawmakers will have to reconcile differences between the House and Senate FY25 appropriations bills, which we hope will occur before the current continuing resolution expires on December 20. AAAE’s primary focus will be to ensure that the final funding agreement for FY25 includes the airport wins we have been successful in gaining in the House and Senate DHS/TSA/CBP funding bills.
On November 7, AAAE President and CEO Todd Hauptli sent a letter to leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees requesting funding for several key airport priorities in the final spending bill. He noted that “Gaining funding for these important priorities is critical to enabling airports to meet growing infrastructure needs while meeting important security imperatives.” If you haven't already done so, we urge you to contact your elected officials to press for the important airport priorities under consideration in both the DHS/TSA/CBP spending bill and the DOT/FAA funding measure.
Links:
November 14, 2024
Democrats on the Senate Appropriations Committee released their proposed funding recommendations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for fiscal year 2025 (FY25). In total, the bill provides $66.16 billion in discretionary funding for DHS, including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
While these proposals are far from being enacted, AAAE and airport advocacy in support of additional TSA and CBP funding were successful with Senate Democrats. The Chair’s mark proposes to restore funding for the law enforcement officer (LEO) reimbursement grant program, would require TSA to continue to staff exit lanes, and calls for the restoration of more than half the funding for state and local-led canine teams. The report accompanying the bill also includes language directing TSA to delay the aviation worker screening requirement by one year and reassess its benefits and costs on airports. For CBP, the Senate draft measure proposes to fund 1,000 additional officers.
There is no plan for the full Senate Appropriations Committee to consider the bill. Instead, these funding and policy recommendations will help inform ongoing negotiations between the House and Senate on a final FY25 DHS/TSA/CBP spending bill.
Notable funding recommendations and report language from the Senate draft include the following:
Transportation Security Administration
The Senate bill calls for a total of $11.9 billion for TSA, $201.2 million below the administration's budget request and $777.5 million above the FY24 enacted level. In making its funding recommendation, the Chair’s mark acknowledges that “TSA continues to witness record-breaking travel days and daily average enplanements of 2.5 million passengers.” After factoring fee collections totaling $4.4 billion, the net discretionary funding for TSA is $6.4 billion, $163.1 million less than the request, but $371 million above the FY24 enacted level.
Notable items for TSA:
- $98.523 million for TSA to continue staffing certain exit lanes, rejecting the administration’s request to eliminate funding and shift the costs to airports.
- $45.868 million to restore funding for the LEO reimbursement program. Funding for this program was eliminated in the final FY24 appropriations bill.
- $17.044 million to restore slightly more than half the previous funding level for state and local-led canine reimbursements. Funding for the stipends for these canine teams was eliminated in the FY24 appropriations bill.
- $101.481 million for the purchase and installation of computed tomography (CT) machines at passenger checkpoints at U.S. airports, which is $11.9 million above the budget request.
- $13.94 million to support remaining reimbursement for costs associated with in-line baggage and screening systems procured before 2007.
- Fully funds additional Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) requested to meet the anticipated increase in passenger travel volume.
- $235 million to fully fund the annualization of TSA workforce pay equity, which has dramatically improved recruitment and retention since its implementation in early July 2023.
- Fully funds the screening partnership program at airports where private screening contracts are in place.
- $500,000 to further develop and certify next-generation screening equipment that combines Artificial Intelligence with hardware solutions. The report notes that “this technology should enable more passengers in wheelchairs to remain seated throughout the screening process, vastly improving their comfort and overall experience.”
- Continues longstanding statutory language that elected and appointed officials are not exempt from federal passenger and baggage screening.
The report that accompanies the bill contains a brief TSA discussion that highlights additional recommendations. Of note:
Aviation Worker Screening: The committee report includes language expressing concern about TSA’s aviation worker screening amendment, which is very similar to the House language written before the worker screening requirement went into full effect. The Senate report states that “The Committee recognizes TSA’s authority to deter and detect threats to airport security. TSA recently issued an Airport Security Program (ASP) amendment that requires airports to significantly increase airport-performed physical screening of employees and procure explosive detection screening (EDS) equipment for the first time. The Committee is concerned that these new mandates impose an undue burden on airport operators and are being implemented without conducting a thorough cost-benefit analysis or risk assessment to justify the change. The Committee urges TSA to delay implementation of the National Amendment for no less than 1 year and to reassess the amendment’s implementation, including through soliciting a formal round of notice and comment to examine the benefits to aviation security and the full financial and operational impacts of this proposal on airports.”
Identity Risk and Security Management: The report “supports cost-effective development of systems that support the use of biometric identity validation tools by both the private and public sector to improve security, the passenger experience, and operational efficiency at the checkpoint. The Committee directs TSA to continue support of pilot deployment at key airports to further advance the necessary infrastructure and investment to support these operations.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
In total, the bill provides $19.72 billion for CBP, $3.16 billion above the budget request and $102 million above the FY24 enacted level. Key highlights from the CBP section of the bill and report include:
CBP Officers: The bill includes funding to hire 1,000 new officers to increase capacity at ports of entry, reduce wait times, and prevent the entry of illicit items. This is 850 more officers than requested by the administration or funded in the House-passed bill. The report encourages “CBP to ensure appropriate staffing levels are maintained at the top 10 U.S. air ports of entry, as determined by passenger enplanements as measured by the Federal Aviation Administration.”
CBP Retirements: The report “notes that CBP is projecting a ‘‘retirement’’ cliff as a large number of CBP officers will be eligible for retirement over the next few years.” CBP is directed to brief the committee about those projections, what steps the agency is taking to manage the risks associated with a loss in workforce, and the consequences of inaction on the agency’s operational capabilities, including data on impacts to trade, travel, and economic, and security impacts.
Overtime Cap: The bill retains the overtime cap at $45,000 for CBP officers and continues to permit the Secretary to waive this cap on an individual basis in the case of immigration emergencies.
Reimbursable Service Programs: The FY24 appropriations explanatory statement directed CBP to provide each air, land, and sea port operator with information on baseline service levels and report to the committee quarterly on its adherence to these baseline levels. The report highlights that these reports have not met these requirements. In future reports, the committee directs that CBP shall address staffing shortages, requirements for facility and security upgrades, and plans for technology recapitalization; the process used to decide how initiatives are funded; a justification for the scope of the requests; and how CBP will negotiate with port operators and incorporate their feedback into the development of plans to address future facility and security needs.
Use of AI: Operations: The bill provides $160 million for investments in cloud migration and software to further adoption of AI capabilities into CBP operations.
AAAE Advocacy
Ultimately, lawmakers will have to reconcile differences between the House and Senate FY25 appropriations bills, which we hope will occur before the current continuing resolution expires on December 20. AAAE’s primary focus will be to ensure that the final funding agreement for FY25 includes the airport wins we have been successful in gaining in the House and Senate DHS/TSA/CBP funding bills.
On November 7, AAAE President and CEO Todd Hauptli sent a letter to leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees requesting funding for several key airport priorities in the final spending bill. He noted that “Gaining funding for these important priorities is critical to enabling airports to meet growing infrastructure needs while meeting important security imperatives.” If you haven't already done so, we urge you to contact your elected officials to press for the important airport priorities under consideration in both the DHS/TSA/CBP spending bill and the DOT/FAA funding measure.
Links:
