WASHINGTON — During testimony today before the House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Administrator David Pekoske discussed the President’s Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Request for TSA.
As approved in the FY23 Omnibus Appropriations Act and signed by the President in December 2022, this budget proposal includes necessary funding for the agency to continue to implement an employee compensation package that is commensurate with other federal agencies and provisions to accommodate increasing passenger travel volumes and maintain wait times standards. This funding provides needed resources to pay TSA employees commensurate with its federal counterparts, dedicate an additional $70 million to expand Computed Tomography (CT) deployments to airport checkpoints nationwide and provide $151 million to fund TSA’s efforts to mitigate the cyber threat across surface and aviation transportation sectors.
“A dedicated and well-trained workforce and the sound deployment of next generation technology are essential to enhanced security, checkpoint efficiency and an improved passenger experience,” said Pekoske. “I am very grateful for the funding we received in the FY23 Omnibus Appropriations Act that places TSA employees on an equal pay footing with every other employee in the federal government. This action is critical to our long-term success, and without this necessary funding, there will be significant wait time increases for travelers.”
With this proposed budget, TSA will continue to invest in and deploy the Credential Authentication Technology and CT units that will modernize airport checkpoints. This technology adds significant capabilities in identity verification and screening, allowing us to detect new and evolving threats to civil aviation, while also improving the customer experience. Continued investment in these technologies will facilitate checkpoint efficiencies that accommodate higher passenger volumes.
Out of a total $10.4 billion in funding for TSA, the President’s FY24 Budget specifically includes:
- Consistent with the travel public’s expectations, this Budget provides a legislative proposal to terminate TSA’s $1.6 billion deficit reduction diversion from the Aviation Passenger Security Fee and return the funds to support critical aviation security requirements.
- $1.4 billion to fully support the TSA employee pay initiatives started in FY23.
- $3.7 million to support Executive Order 14058 to enhance Customer Experience Strategic Initiatives.
- $151 million for the development and implementation of enhanced cybersecurity-related measures to improve cyber resiliency across the U.S. transportation systems sector. TSA coordinates across government and industry to identify, share and mitigate threats among those it regulates.
- A legislative proposal to transition access control at exit lanes to airport authorities and commercial airports, placing nearly 1,300 full time employees back into screening functions and returning $111 million in resources back to risk-based security measures.
For a link to the written testimony of TSA Administrator Pekoske on the FY24 budget, please click here.
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