House Republicans Move to Block TSA's $45 REAL ID Fee in $11.2 Billion Bill
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Jun 8
House Republicans Move to Block TSA's $45 REAL ID Fee in $11.2 Billion Bill
2 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Jun 8
Summary
House GOP appropriators inserted language into their fiscal 2027 Homeland Security bill to bar TSA from charging the $45 ConfirmID fee to air travelers who arrive without REAL ID or other accepted identification.
The report backing the bill says TSA lacks statutory authority for the fee and argues ConfirmID, launched in February, costs more than 10 times as much per passenger as the free identity-verification process it replaced.
TSA would also have to brief Congress on the program, while Republicans excluded any ConfirmID revenue from their fee assumptions — underscoring their push to stop collection entirely.
The broader TSA package provides $11.2 billion in discretionary funding, down $347 million year over year, while boosting private screening partnerships by $41 million and cutting Federal Air Marshals by $290.4 million.