TSA isn’t the Commercial Airport Security Administration, they’re the Transportation Security Administration. Yet, they don’t have a presence at train stations, ferry terminals, cruise ship terminals, or outside of the commercial terminal at an airport. We’re spending $10 billion a year for government agents to conduct unconstitutional search and seizure on Americans traveling for work or to enjoy the few squared away coins they’ve got so their family can have a nice vacation while those who can afford to rent private jets or fly a personal aircraft don’t get one iota of harassment from them.
General aviation pilots and passengers and private jet renters don’t have to sit in a two hour wait at a security checkpoint, they don’t need to show ID when they get to an airport, their bags aren’t inspected, no questions on the purpose of their trip, et c. From when I or anyone else gets to the general aviation side of an airport, it takes no more than 20 minutes from arrival to takeoff. There isn’t even security pretending to be present to deter someone committing an act of terrorism or mischief. You’re telling me that just because someone has money, they get the honor code treatment and don’t need to be held to the same standard as those without money who fly commercially? I can walk through the door into an FBO from the road, walk through the FBO door to the tarmac, and then run up to any commercial airplane and not be harassed till its too late. When I fly to dual use airports, I taxi past all the commercial airliners before take off yet nothing in my plane or on my person was screened… Two tiered systems need to be dismantled or made equal across all aspects of the federal government.
An appropriated trust fund be established to ensure base wages are paid to critical ATC staff during future government shutdown funded independent of the taxpayer. Funding be minimal and temporary in nature, collecting a landing fee assed to aircraft using commercial services at airports to the tune of $0.50 - $1.00 per landing. The fee being discontinued when the trust fund amasses 3-months worth of base wages.
When TSA was established, it was designed to be fully self-funded via the post 9/11 security fee applied each way on all airfare. Congress has instead redirected the fee to its general slush-fund. Depriving TSA of $4.5 billion in annual funding, half of its nearly $10 billion budget. The fee should be returned to TSA and increased from $11.20 to $23.00, making TSA fully self funded and the agency’s ability to direct deposits payroll independent of whether or not the government is funded.