TSA Might Send Your Loose Change From the Airport to Fund Border Security
According to a contingency plan procured by NBC News, the Department of Homeland Security has requested $232 million from the Transportation Security Administration to fund border operations in case Congress denies its $1.1 billion funding request.
Through a PowerPoint presentation and internal emails, the TSA outlined a plan last week that would involve cutting funding from other projects and programs. This includes $50 million set aside to buy advanced airport screening equipment, $64 million of a worker's compensation fund for injured TSA workers from 2010 and, oddly enough, $3 million collected from loose change left in airport security trays.
The report also read that the request could also affect funding for the TSA officers stationed at security checkpoints at airports. If this goes through, the NBC report suggested the budget cuts could drastically impact wait times for travelers — especially amid peak tourism season in early summer.
TSA documents also show that its list of potential programs to cut was due last Friday, so whether or not DHS's plan was approved is currently unknown.
On May 1, President Donald Trump asked for $4.5 billion from Congress to manage the recent influx of undocumented immigrants crossing the southern US border. Of that, $1.1 billion is specifically for border operations, including "personnel expenses, additional detention beds, and operations combating human smuggling and trafficking," according to the White House.