The House appropriations committee yesterday rejected President George W. Bush's proposal to more than double airline ticket taxes to pay for more security at airports, a victory for the financially struggling industry that said competitive pressures against raising fares would force it to absorb most of the $1.7 billion increase.
Lawmakers voted to keep the ticket tax at current levels-$2.50 per leg, with a maximum of $5 per trip-as part of a larger bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security in the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. The measure next goes to the full House for consideration, and later to the Senate.
"Our allocation does not completely plug the $1.7 billion hole the President created by proposing an increase in the passenger security fee-a fee we simply cannot and will not agree to place on American travelers," said Rep. Harold Rogers (R-Ky.), the chairman of the homeland security subcommittee.
The bill contains $5.7 billion for transportation security, a $344 million increase from the current fiscal year. It instructs the Transportation Security Administration to open Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington to general aviation within 90 days
(BTN, March 21), and withholds $50 million in funds until a plan to install explosive detection devices at U.S. airports is provided to Congress. TSA has "ignored" requests by Congress to do both those things, Rogers said.
Finally, the bill earmarks $100 million to boost screening of cargo that flies on passenger jets, but chastises the agency for failing to act to triple current scrutiny. Until it begins doing so, the bill will reduce funding for TSA's Washington headquarters by $100,000 a day until the agency acts.
Rep. Martin Olav Sabo (D-Minn.), the top Democrat on the homeland security subcommittee, said he supported some of the "tough" measures in the bill aimed at TSA, especially those related to air cargo screening. "The department isn't doing nearly enough on these problems, and this bill takes some steps in the right direction," Sabo said.