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.