ASAE Urges Congress to Fully Fund TSA to Protect Meetings and Events

The American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), earlier this week, submitted a letter to Congress calling for swift action to fully fund the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), underscoring the critical importance of stable travel infrastructure to the association community. 

Negotiations between the White House and Congress have remained at an impasse over funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) since the partial shutdown began on Feb. 14.

In the letter, ASAE emphasized that association meetings and business events are a vital engine of the U.S. economy and workforce—bringing together professionals, researchers, educators, and industry leaders to exchange knowledge, drive innovation, and strengthen communities across nearly every sector. Hundreds of ASAE members have utilized an ASAE Call to Action this week to amplify the message that TSA needs to be fully funded. 

"When millions of attendees are traveling to conferences and professional meetings that are planned months or years in advance, even small disruptions can have significant ripple effects across the economy," said ASAE President and CEO Michelle Mason, FASAE, CAE, AAiP, in ASAE’s letter.

The urgency of this issue is underscored by recent warnings from TSA officials that prolonged funding lapses could force some airports – particularly smaller ones – to shut down if staffing shortages worsen. With roughly 50,000 TSA officers required to work without pay during a shutdown, financial strain has already contributed to rising absences and workforce attrition, increasing the risk of longer security lines and broader travel disruptions. 

"As the weeks continue, if this continues, it's not hyperbole to suggest that we may have to quite literally shut down airports, particularly smaller ones, if call-out rates go up," said Acting Deputy TSA Administrator Adam Stahl on Fox News this week. "A lot of these officers can't afford to come in."

This article was provided to OSAP by ASAE's Power of Associations and Inroads.