Floor SpeechBipartisan2026-07-13

SPENDING AVIATION FEES FOR EQUIPMENT, GUARANTEEING UPGRADED AND ADVANCED RISK DETECTION AND SAFETY ACT OF 2026

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Context

On 2026-07-13, Representative James R. Walkinshaw (D-VA-11) delivered a floor speech titled "SPENDING AVIATION FEES FOR EQUIPMENT, GUARANTEEING UPGRADED AND ADVANCED RISK DETECTION AND SAFETY ACT OF 2026" in the House.

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SPENDING AVIATION FEES FOR EQUIPMENT, GUARANTEEING UPGRADED AND ADVANCED RISK DETECTION AND SAFETY ACT OF 2026

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026)] [House] [Pages H4388-H4390] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SPENDING AVIATION FEES FOR EQUIPMENT, GUARANTEEING UPGRADED AND ADVANCED RISK DETECTION AND SAFETY ACT OF 2026 Mr. GARBARINO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 8770) to amend title 49, United States Code, to establish funds for investments in aviation security, and for other purposes, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 8770 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Spending Aviation Fees for Equipment, Guaranteeing Upgraded and Advanced Risk Detection and Safety Act of 2026'' or the ``SAFEGUARDS Act of 2026''. SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. It is the sense of Congress that-- (1) the fee collected in accordance with section 44940 of title 49, United States Code (commonly known as the ``9/11 Security Fee''), is an airline passenger-paid fee established with the express purpose of sustaining the safety and security of the aviation system of the United States; (2) revenue generated from the 9/11 Security Fee should be used exclusively to fund activities, programs, equipment, and initiatives that directly improve the security of commercial aviation, including passenger and baggage screening, security technology upgrades, and the support of personnel responsible for aviation security; (3) the use of the 9/11 Security Fee for purposes unrelated to aviation security undermines public trust and the original intent of the fee, and all proceeds from the fee should [[Page H4389]] be reserved and expended solely for measures that strengthen the safety and security of the traveling public within the aviation sector; and (4) the diversion of 9/11 Security Fee revenue to other purposes should be ended no later than 2027, in accordance with section 44940(i)(4) of title 49, United States Code, as it read on the date of the enactment of this Act. SEC. 3. AVIATION SECURITY FUNDS. (a) Improving the Aviation Security Capital Fund.-- Subsection (h) of section 44923 of title 49, United States Code (relating to the Aviation Security Capital Fund), is amended-- (1) in paragraph (1), by striking the second, third, and fourth sentences and inserting the following new sentences: ``Beginning in fiscal year 2028 and for each fiscal year thereafter, the first $500,000,000 derived from fees received under section 44940(a)(1) shall be available to be deposited in the Fund. The Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration shall impose the fee authorized by such section so as to collect at least $500,000,000 in each of such fiscal years for deposit into the Fund, subject to the prior termination of any of the fees authorized under such section being credited as offsetting receipts and deposited in the general fund of the Treasury.''; and (2) by striking paragraphs (2) and (3) and inserting the following new paragraph: ``(2) Disbursement authority.--Amounts in the Fund shall be available to the Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration to make grants under this section or enter into related agreements to carry out this section.''. (b) Establishment of the Aviation Security Checkpoint Technology Fund.--Section 44923 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by-- (1) by redesignating subsection (i) as subsection (j); and (2) by inserting after subsection (h) the following new subsection: ``(i) Aviation Security Checkpoint Technology Fund.-- ``(1) In general.--There is established within the Department of Homeland Security a fund to be known as the `Aviation Security Checkpoint Technology Fund' (in this subsection referred to as the `ASCT Fund'). ``(2) Funding.--Beginning in fiscal year 2028 and for each fiscal year thereafter, after the first $500,000,000 is deposited into the Aviation Security Capital Fund pursuant to subsection (h)(2), the next $250,000,000 from fees received under section 44940(a)(1) shall be available to be deposited in the ASCT Fund. The Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration shall impose the fee authorized by such section so as to collect not less than $250,000,000 in each of such fiscal years for deposit into the ASCT Fund. Amounts in the ASCT Fund shall be available until expended to the Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration to fund the testing, procurement, deployment, installation, and sustainment of aviation security checkpoint technology, subject to the prior termination of any of the fees authorized under such section being credited as offsetting receipts and deposited in the general fund of the Treasury. ``(3) Disbursement authority.--Amounts in the ASCT Fund shall be available to the Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration to make grants under this section or enter into related agreements to carry out this section.''. (c) Conforming Amendment.--Paragraph (1) of section 44940(i) of title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking ``section 44923(h)'' and inserting ``subsections (h) and (i) of section 44923''. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Garbarino) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Walkinshaw) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York. General Leave Mr. GARBARINO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 8770. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from New York? There was no objection. Mr. GARBARINO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 8770, the SAFEGUARDS Act. This legislation establishes a sense of Congress that 9/11 passenger security fee revenue should be put toward TSA security screening purposes following the end of the current fee diversion at the end of fiscal year 2027. Additionally, this bill directs funds collected from this fee to modernize and sustain explosive detection systems and technology at TSA security checkpoints beginning in fiscal year 2028. The SAFEGUARDS Act will strengthen aviation security by ensuring passenger security fee revenue is used for its intended purpose: providing additional resources to protect the traveling public. I thank Representative Strong for his leadership, and I look forward to continuing our engagement on both sides of the aisle and with our colleagues on the Appropriations Committee to ensure that this bill improves deployment timelines for critical aviation security technology without any unintended consequences for the TSA workforce or any other TSA operations. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. WALKINSHAW. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, since the Transportation Security Administration was created after the 9/11 attacks, the agency has been working to deploy the latest innovative security screening technology to ensure prohibited items carried inside bags and on individuals do not make it past a security checkpoint and onto an aircraft. However, with thousands of TSA screening lanes across the country in need of technology, Congress has at times struggled to provide funding to recapitalize technology expeditiously across all airports. H.R. 8770, the SAFEGUARDS Act, would ensure there are increased dedicated funds available to TSA to procure the latest screening technology so that the agency can replace aging technology deployed at airports at a more rapid pace. Although speeding up the deployment of new screening technology is an important goal, I do have some reservations about the bill. The increased investments in technology are not paid for, and I am concerned that these increases could result in cuts to funding for TSA workforce salaries and benefits if TSA's overall budget does not increase. Although the bill does contain language reinforcing the sense of Congress that diversions of passenger security fees away from TSA's coffers should end, the bill does not actually do anything to end those diversions sooner than already scheduled under current law or otherwise to bring in more money to TSA. House Democrats have long been supportive of investments in new and innovative security technologies, but we must also make sure that we are supporting the workforce that operates those technologies. To start, the House should take up Ranking Member Thompson's bill, H.R. 2086, the Rights for the TSA Workforce Act, which would codify fair pay and collective bargaining rights for this critical workforce. This bill has more than 185 bipartisan cosponsors, and the Republican majority should bring it to this floor. In the meantime, I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, as well as our colleagues in the Senate, to ensure that the SAFEGUARDS Act, if enacted, drives investments in technology without causing cuts to pay, benefits, or staffing at TSA. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. GARBARINO. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Strong). Mr. STRONG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, the SAFEGUARDS Act. When Americans purchase an airline ticket, they pay a passenger security fee with an expectation that those dollars will be used to strengthen aviation security. That is what Congress intended when the fee was created, and that is exactly what this bill restores. For years, revenue from the passenger security fee has been directed away from its intended purpose. Meanwhile, our airports continue to face ev

Referenced legislation: HR2086, HR8770

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SPENDING AVIATION FEES FOR EQUIPMENT, GUARANTEEING UPGRADED AND ADVANCED RISK DETECTION AND SAFETY ACT OF 2026 Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026)] [House] [Pages H4388-H4390] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SPENDING AVIATION FEES FOR EQUIPMENT, GUARANTEEING UPGRADED AND ADVANCED RISK DETECTION AND SAFETY ACT OF 2026 Mr. GARBARINO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 8770) to amend title 49, United States Code, to establish funds for investments in aviation security, and for other purposes, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 8770 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Spending Aviation Fees for Equipment, Guaranteeing Upgraded and Advanced Risk Detection and Safety Act of 2026'' or the ``SAFEGUARDS Act of 2026''. SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. It is the sense of Congress that-- (1) the fee collected in accordance with section 44940 of title 49, United States Code (commonly known as the ``9/11 Security Fee''), is an airline passenger-paid fee established with the express purpose of sustaining the safety and security of the aviation system of the United States; (2) revenue generated from the 9/11 Security Fee should be used exclusively to fund activities, programs, equipment, and initiatives that directly improve the security of commercial aviation, including passenger and baggage screening, security technology upgrades, and the support of personnel responsible for aviation security; (3) the use of the 9/11 Security Fee for purposes unrelated to aviation security undermines public trust and the original intent of the fee, and all proceeds from the fee should [[Page H4389]] be reserved and expended solely for measures that strengthen the safety and security of the traveling public within the aviation sector; and (4) the diversion of 9/11 Security Fee revenue to other purposes should be ended no later than 2027, in accordance with section 44940(i)(4) of title 49, United States Code, as it read on the date of the enactment of this Act. SEC. 3. AVIATION SECURITY FUNDS. (a) Improving the Aviation Security Capital Fund.-- Subsection (h) of section 44923 of title 49, United States Code (relating to the Aviation Security Capital Fund), is amended-- (1) in paragraph (1), by striking the second, third, and fourth sentences and inserting the following new sentences: ``Beginning in fiscal year 2028 and for each fiscal year thereafter, the first $500,000,000 derived from fees received under section 44940(a)(1) shall be available to be deposited in the Fund. The Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration shall impose the fee authorized by such section so as to collect at least $500,000,000 in each of such fiscal years for deposit into the Fund, subject to the prior termination of any of the fees authorized under such section being credited as offsetting receipts and deposited in the general fund of the Treasury.''; and (2) by striking paragraphs (2) and (3) and inserting the following new paragraph: ``(2) Disbursement authority.--Amounts in the Fund shall be available to the Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration to make grants under this section or enter into related agreements to carry out this section.''. (b) Establishment of the Aviation Security Checkpoint Technology Fund.--Section 44923 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by-- (1) by redesignating subsection (i) as subsection (j); and (2) by inserting after subsection (h) the following new subsection: ``(i) Aviation Security Checkpoint Technology Fund.-- ``(1) In general.--There is established within the Department of Homeland Security a fund to be known as the `Aviation Security Checkpoint Technology Fund' (in this subsection referred to as the `ASCT Fund'). ``(2) Funding.--Beginning in fiscal year 2028 and for each fiscal year thereafter, after the first $500,000,000 is deposited into the Aviation Security Capital Fund pursuant to subsection (h)(2), the next $250,000,000 from fees received under section 44940(a)(1) shall be available to be deposited in the ASCT Fund. The Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration shall impose the fee authorized by such section so as to collect not less than $250,000,000 in each of such fiscal years for deposit into the ASCT Fund. Amounts in the ASCT Fund shall be available until expended to the Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration to fund the testing, procurement, deployment, installation, and sustainment of aviation security checkpoint technology, subject to the prior termination of any of the fees authorized under such section being credited as offsetting receipts and deposited in the general fund of the Treasury. ``(3) Disbursement authority.--Amounts in the ASCT Fund shall be available to the Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration to make grants under this section or enter into related agreements to carry out this section.''. (c) Conforming Amendment.--Paragraph (1) of section 44940(i) of title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking ``section 44923(h)'' and inserting ``subsections (h) and (i) of section 44923''. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Garbarino) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Walkinshaw) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York. General Leave Mr. GARBARINO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 8770. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from New York? There was no objection. Mr. GARBARINO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 8770, the SAFEGUARDS Act. This legislation establishes a sense of Congress that 9/11 passenger security fee revenue should be put toward TSA security screening purposes following the end of the current fee diversion at the end of fiscal year 2027. Additionally, this bill directs funds collected from this fee to modernize and sustain explosive detection systems and technology at TSA security checkpoints beginning in fiscal year 2028. The SAFEGUARDS Act will strengthen aviation security by ensuring passenger security fee revenue is used for its intended purpose: providing additional resources to protect the traveling public. I thank Representative Strong for his leadership, and I look forward to continuing our engagement on both sides of the aisle and with our colleagues on the Appropriations Committee to ensure that this bill improves deployment timelines for critical aviation security technology without any unintended consequences for the TSA workforce or any other TSA operations. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. WALKINSHAW. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, since the Transportation Security Administration was created after the 9/11 attacks, the agency has been working to deploy the latest innovative security screening technology to ensure prohibited items carried inside bags and on individuals do not make it past a security checkpoint and onto an aircraft. However, with thousands of TSA screening lanes across the country in need of technology, Congress has at times struggled to provide funding to recapitalize technology expeditiously across all airports. H.R. 8770, the SAFEGUARDS Act, would ensure there are increased dedicated funds available to TSA to procure the latest screening technology so that the agency can replace aging technology deployed at airports at a more rapid pace. Although speeding up the deployment of new screening technology is an important goal, I do have some reservations about the bill. The increased investments in technology are not paid for, and I am concerned that these increases could result in cuts to funding for TSA workforce salaries and benefits if TSA's overall budget does not increase. Although the bill does contain language reinforcing the sense of Congress that diversions of passenger security fees away from TSA's coffers should end, the bill does not actually do anything to end those diversions sooner than already scheduled under current law or otherwise to bring in more money to TSA. House Democrats have long been supportive of investments in new and innovative security technologies, but we must also make sure that we are supporting the workforce that operates those technologies. To start, the House should take up Ranking Member Thompson's bill, H.R. 2086, the Rights for the TSA Workforce Act, which would codify fair pay and collective bargaining rights for this critical workforce. This bill has more than 185 bipartisan cosponsors, and the Republican majority should bring it to this floor. In the meantime, I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, as well as our colleagues in the Senate, to ensure that the SAFEGUARDS Act, if enacted, drives investments in technology without causing cuts to pay, benefits, or staffing at TSA. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. GARBARINO. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Strong). Mr. STRONG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, the SAFEGUARDS Act. When Americans purchase an airline ticket, they pay a passenger security fee with an expectation that those dollars will be used to strengthen aviation security. That is what Congress intended when the fee was created, and that is exactly what this bill restores. For years, revenue from the passenger security fee has been directed away from its intended purpose. Meanwhile, our airports continue to face ev Referenced legislation: HR2086, HR8770