Airport Alert: Urgent Request: Please Contact Your Senator Today to Support Airport Funding Priorities in TSA!

May 19, 2025

We need your help today!
 
Please contact your Senator ASAP and ask your elected official to sign a letter requesting restoration of funding for TSA’s law enforcement officer (LEO) reimbursement program and state and local canine teams in the Fiscal Year 2026 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill. Despite strong support from Congress, funding for both was eliminated in 2024, resulting in the full costs being shifted to airport operators and local officials. Because of your advocacy, we successfully restored funding in the House and Senate bills in FY2025; however, a full-year continuing resolution at FY24 spending levels dashed our efforts.
 
Senators John Barrasso (R-WY) and Jackie Rosen (D-NV) are asking their colleagues to join them in sending a letter to the Senate DHS Appropriations Subcommittee that requests restoration of funding at the FY 2024 levels for TSA’s LEO reimbursement grants ($47 million) and state and local canine teams ($31 million) in FY26.
 
Urgent Request: The deadline for lawmakers to cosign this letter is Wednesday, May 21 at 5:00 p.m. EST. Considering the tight turn, please contact your Senator today and ask them to cosign the bipartisan letter. Their office can contact Charles Zeigler (Charles_Ziegler@Barrasso.senate.gov) or Laura Shuler (Laura_Shuler@Barrasso.senate.gov) in Senator Barrasso’s office. They can also contact Abigail Hobson (Abigail_Hobson@rosen.senate.gov) or Olga Zoraqi (Olga_Zoraqi@rosen.senate.gov) in Senator Rosen’s office.
 
Thank you for your help!

This morning, AAAE President and CEO Todd Hauptli made a similar funding request for LEO grants and canine teams to the Senate and House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittees, along with other TSA and CBP priority items.

Here is a copy of the funding request letter:
 
Dear Chair Britt and Ranking Member Murphy,
 
We write today to urge you to restore funding for the Transportation Security Administration Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) reimbursement program and state and local canine teams in the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) appropriations bill. Despite strong program support, Congress in Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) eliminated funding for TSA’s LEO reimbursement program and the officer’s stipend for state and local-led canine teams, shifting these costs to airport operators and local officials.
 
Due to this change in FY24, more than 290 airports have been forced to divert resources from other security purposes to cover officer salaries, as airport operators are required by statute to have a law enforcement officer presence at or near security checkpoints to respond to threats identified during TSA screening. TSA’s frontline personnel do not have the authority to detain individuals or make arrests. The absence of LEO funding paired with LEO presence required by statute creates an unfunded mandate. Additionally, some airports have had to reduce the number of canine teams operating in their facilities, reducing visible deterrence measures.
 
While the House-passed and Senate-introduced bills restored funding for these programs in FY25, a full-year continuing resolution at FY24 levels negated these resources. We respectfully request that you restore funding for these two security programs in the FY 2026 appropriations bill.
 
Thank you for your consideration of this matter.