Airport Alert: House FY27 DHS Appropriations Report Released; More Good News for Airports
In advance of consideration of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) by the full House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, June 10, the Committee today released its FY27 report, which provides additional direction from Congress to DHS and its component agencies. Last week, the House DHS Appropriations Subcommittee approved the FY27 DHS funding bill by voice vote.
Overall, the bill provides $64.9 billion in discretionary funding for DHS and its component agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. While much of the bill is focused on immigration enforcement and border security issues, there are important wins for airports, particularly within the TSA section.
Transportation Security Administration
In total, the bill includes $11.3 billion for TSA, which is a decrease of $347.1 million from the FY26 enacted level and $320.6 million below the administration’s FY27 request.
Notable funding items contained in the bill include:
- $97,310,000 to continue TSA staffing at certain exit lanes, rejecting the administration’s proposal to shift these costs to airports.
- $45,868,000 for the TSA Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) Reimbursement Program and $34,088,000 for reimbursements to state and local canine teams. Funding for these critical programs was restored in FY26 after a two-year funding hiatus. Strong advocacy from impacted airports and AAAE successfully swayed Congress to restore funding in FY26, and the House bill proposes to continue funding for both programs into FY27.
- $286,910,000 for checkpoint support, including $225,920,000 for the purchase and installation of computed tomography (CT) machines at passenger checkpoints, $40,990,000 for credential authentication technology (CAT), and $20,000,000 for e-Gates.
- $47,800,000 for TSA’s Identity Management (IDM) capability, a program that the Committee believes builds, in concert with other government agencies and the private sector, secure and privacy-preserving digital identity solutions for Americans.
- $8,000,000 for the Innovation Task Force to improve baggage and passenger screening given the increase in passenger travel volume through airports, the need to reduce congestion in screening lines, and the evolution of security threats.
The report also includes the following items:
Aviation Worker Screening: The report states that “The Committee continues to be concerned with any mandate that requires airports to significantly increase airport-performed physical screening of employees and encourages TSA to reconsider pursuing such mandates.” AAAE has long urged Congress to consider aviation worker screening as a federal responsibility and has pushed back on this unfunded mandate for years.
Public-Private Partnerships: As we reported last week, the House FY27 DHS funding bill rejects the administration’s proposal to require Category III and IV airports to participate in the Screening Partnership Program. However, the report does call for an “efficiency review” with language encouraging reliance on public-partnerships to identify federal spending reductions and savings. Specifically, the language reads “The Committee directs TSA to complete a comprehensive, agency-wide review to identify spending reductions and savings achievable through expanded use of public-private partnerships. The Administrator shall consider private sector reimbursement of TSA staffing, new technologies that reduce the need for staffing while maintaining security efficiencies and protocols, and increasing the use of private sector security screening and remote screening, among others.”
Passenger Security Fee:The report addresses the diversion of the 9/11 passenger security fee by noting that the diversion ends in 2027 and should not be extended. The language reads “The Committee notes that the Passenger Security Fee, collected from passengers of commercial air travel, is intended to fund vital security measures to ensure the safety and protection of travelers within the United States. The Committee further notes that the diversion of funds collected through the Passenger Security Fee to purposes unrelated to aviation security could undermine the integrity and effectiveness of aviation security programs. Under current law, the diversion of funds ends in 2027, and the Committee believes that the diversion should not be extended and that all collected fees should instead be appropriated, as part of the annual appropriations process, to strengthen aviation security.”
ConfirmID: The FY27 DHS funding bill prohibits TSA from collecting any fee for a program vetting travelers arriving without acceptable identification at the security checkpoint. The report explains that “In February 2026, TSA started a program to charge a fee for passengers who arrive at an airport without an acceptable ID. Previously, identity verification was a function that TSA performed for free when passengers were unable to present acceptable IDs, which frequently happens after natural disasters or personal property theft. The Committee is concerned about the program, as there is no valid statutory authority for TSA to collect a fee from these passengers. Further, ConfirmID is over an order of magnitude more expensive than the system it replaced on a per passenger basis.”
Checked Baggage Systems: Once again, the Committee raises concerns about the continuing outages of checked baggage EDS systems at airports across the country. The Committee directs TSA to prioritize the purchase and installation of EDS at airports with chronic outages using amounts available in the Aviation Security Capital Fund. The report also directs TSA to develop a realistic plan for recapitalizing checked baggage equipment, with regular updates to Congress about the progress being made on replacing end-of-life and unreliable EDS.
Cybersecurity: Consistent with concerns raised by AAAE and other aviation associations, the report states that “The Committee believes TSA’s emergency authorities should be reserved for critical, short-term circumstances that require immediate action to address an imminent threat. TSA’s existing cybersecurity emergency amendment has been in for almost four years with no long-term program plan.” The report encourages TSA to replace the emergency amendment with a separate, stand-alone cybersecurity program that is subject to notice and comment by airports and air carriers. The report also directs TSA to improve its aviation cybersecurity information sharing.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
The bill recommends $18.3 billion in total funding for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a $6.6 billion increase above the FY26 enacted level, and $186.7 million below the FY27 budget request.
The report includes the following items of note for airports:
Low-Risk Air Travelers: The report encourages CBP to utilize technology and innovation to facilitate and expedite the processing of low-risk travelers at U.S. airports, while enhancing security and enforcement, otherwise known as Enhanced Passenger Processing. The Committee urges CBP to consider new processes that meet its operational needs, including for frequent travelers that have not enrolled in a Trusted Traveler Program. The report requires CBP to submit a report to the Committee on its efforts to utilize technology and innovation to facilitate and expedite the processing of low-risk travelers at U.S. airports. The report shall include steps CBP has taken to meet or exceed the current level of security for processing low risk travelers, efficiencies in CBP staffing, impacts on customer experience, and partnerships with the commercial aviation stakeholder community.
Staffing at Largest Airports: The report strongly encourages CBP to ensure adequate hiring, training, and staffing levels to support operations at the top 10 U.S. air Ports of Entry, as determined by passenger enplanements measured by the Federal Aviation Administration.
User Fee Airports: The report strongly encourages CBP to give priority staffing consideration, on an overtime basis, to existing User Fee Airports to support scheduled international airline service starting no earlier than January 1, 2027. The report also requires CBP to brief the Committee on any requests by airports for increased CBP support, such as the request from the San Bernardino International Airport. The briefing shall detail the anticipated passenger and/or cargo volumes of the applicant and the reason for CBP accommodating or denying such requests.
What’s Next?
On Wednesday, June 10, the House Appropriations Committee will consider the FY27 DHS appropriations bill. As compared to the Subcommittee’s consideration of the bill, this will be a more lengthy and contentious process.
The Senate Appropriations Committee has not yet announced plans to begin considering its version of the FY27 DHS funding bill.
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