Airport Alert: Please Urge Lawmakers to Support Aviation Security Funding Priorities, Including Exit Lane Staffing

We urgently need your help to convince House of Representative lawmakers to fund our aviation security priorities in the upcoming Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill for fiscal year 2023 (FY23).  
 
Support Funding for TSA Staffing, Including Those at Exit Lanes, and for Law Enforcement Officer Grants:
 
As House Appropriations Committee members begin to consider the FY23 funding request for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Representative Val Demings (D-FL) and House Transportation and Maritime Security Subcommittee Ranking Member Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) are seeking co-signers for a letter they intend to send to the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee on Wednesday, April 27, 2022, at 6 pm, in support of TSA staffing, including at exit lanes, and for full funding of the law enforcement officer (LEO) reimbursement grants. A copy of the draft letter can be found here. 
 
The administration has once again proposed eliminating funding for TSA to monitor airport exit lanes in their FY23 budget request, even though they are required to do so by law. Instead, TSA proposes to shift these costs to airports; funding airports do not have in their budgets. Ensuring only screened passengers and their non-prohibited items that pass from the public areas to security-sensitive areas of the airport is a critical security function and is part of TSA's core mission as affirmed by Congress since 2013. 
 
Also, this bipartisan letter supports the FY23 budget request to hire an additional 2,540 Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) to meet increasing passenger travel volumes without increasing wait times and to fully fund the TSA law enforcement officer reimbursement grants program. 
 
Request: We are urging airports to contact their House members and ask them to co-sign the Demings-Gimenez letter in support of funding for TSA to continue to staff exit lanes, hire more TSOs nationwide, and for LEO reimbursements. It is critical to communicate with all members of the House of Representatives, not just those on key committees. Contact information for your House member is available via this link.  
 
Airports should ask any interested Members of Congress to contact Aimee.Collins-Mandeville@mail.house.gov with Rep. Demings or EJ.Valentine@mail.house.gov with Rep. Gimenez to sign on to this letter. 

Thank you in advance for your prompt assistance.