SAFEGUARDS Act of 2025

The bill states that Congress believes money from the 9/11 Security Fee should be used only for aviation security, such as screening, security technology upgrades, and related staff. It also says that using this fee for other government purposes should stop by 2027, consistent with existing law. It updates the existing Aviation Security Capital Fund inside the Department of Homeland Security. Through fiscal year 2025, the first $250 million per year from the 9/11 Security Fee can go into this fund. Starting in fiscal year 2026 and every year after, that amount doubles to $500 million per year. TSA must set and collect the fee so that at least these amounts are available for the fund. Money in this fund can be used by TSA to give grants for aviation security capital projects. The bill also creates a new Aviation Security Checkpoint Technology Fund inside the Department of Homeland Security. Beginning in fiscal year 2026, after the first $500 million goes into the Capital Fund, the next $250 million from the same 9/11 Security Fee can go into this new fund each year. TSA must collect enough in fees to provide at least this $250 million per year. Money in this new fund can be used by TSA to buy, place, maintain, and support checkpoint and exit-lane security technology. TSA may also make grants from this fund and can approve the use of these grant dollars for qualifying checkpoint and exit-lane technology projects that started on or after January 1, 2023.

The bill affects how hundreds of millions of dollars in airline passenger fees are directed each year. By dedicating larger and more specific amounts to security capital projects and checkpoint technology, it could change how quickly airports and TSA upgrade screening equipment and related systems. For travelers, any changes in checkpoint and exit-lane technology may influence wait times, screening methods, and how security lines are managed. For airports and TSA, having dedicated funds and grant authority could make it easier to plan and pay for major security equipment purchases and upgrades. The bill does not change the basic existence of the 9/11 Security Fee, but it narrows how those fee revenues may be used within the federal government. The exact effects on passenger experience, federal budgeting outside aviation security, and overall security outcomes are not specified in the text and would depend on how TSA and airports implement the new and expanded funds.

• Reaffirms that the 9/11 Security Fee is intended to be used only for aviation security activities, including screening and technology upgrades.
• Calls for ending the diversion of 9/11 Security Fee revenue to non-aviation-security purposes by 2027, aligning with existing law.
• Increases the annual amount from the 9/11 Security Fee directed to the Aviation Security Capital Fund from $250 million to $500 million starting in fiscal year 2026.
• Requires TSA to set and collect the 9/11 Security Fee at a level that yields at least $250 million per year for the Capital Fund through 2025, and at least $500 million per year for that fund beginning in 2026.
• Establishes a new Aviation Security Checkpoint Technology Fund within the Department of Homeland Security.
• Starting in fiscal year 2026, directs the next $250 million per year from the 9/11 Security Fee (after the first $500 million goes to the Capital Fund) into the new Checkpoint Technology Fund.
• Requires TSA to collect enough in 9/11 Security Fees to provide at least $250 million per year for the Checkpoint Technology Fund starting in 2026.
• Makes funds in both the Capital Fund and the Checkpoint Technology Fund available to TSA to award grants for aviation security projects.
• Allows grant funds from the Checkpoint Technology Fund to be applied retroactively to qualifying checkpoint and exit-lane technology projects that began on or after January 1, 2023.
• Specifies that money in the Checkpoint Technology Fund remains available until it is fully spent, rather than expiring at the end of a fiscal year.

• The bill does not set or change the exact dollar amount of the per-passenger 9/11 Security Fee; it instead requires TSA to collect at least certain total amounts for the funds, which could indirectly affect fee levels.
• While it expresses that diversion of the 9/11 Security Fee to non-aviation uses should end by 2027, it relies on existing law for that change rather than creating a new enforcement mechanism in this text.
• The new Checkpoint Technology Fund can support exit-lane technology as well as checkpoint screening, which means some funds may go to managing passenger flow and preventing backflow from secure to non-secure areas, not only to scanning machines.
• Grant funds from the new fund can be applied retroactively to projects started as early as January 1, 2023, which may shift how airports account for past spending after the bill takes effect.