ASAE Urges Congress to Fund TSA
The American Society of Association Professionals (ASAE) recently sent a letter to Congress urging immediate action to fully fund the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ensure uninterrupted operations at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Stable funding for TSA is essential to keeping travelers moving—and to safeguarding the association meetings and events that drive economic and professional value across the country.
Association conferences and business events support hundreds of thousands of jobs and generate billions in direct spending each year. Any disruption to airport operations has immediate and widespread consequences for our attendees, partners and host communities.
Recent economic impact research conducted for ASAE by Oxford Economics highlights the scale of this contribution. Each year, more than 272,000 association meetings and events attract nearly 52 million participants, directly support approximately 342,000 jobs and generate $42 billion in spending in communities across the United States. This activity supports hotels, restaurants, convention centers, transportation providers and countless small businesses in destinations of all sizes.
For this reason, disruptions to the nation's travel infrastructure – particularly those affecting airport operations and security screening–have immediate consequences for the meetings and events ecosystem. The dedicated professionals of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) play a critical role in maintaining the safe and efficient movement of travelers across the country. However, funding lapses that require these essential personnel to work without pay place significant strain on the workforce and increase the risk of staffing shortages, longer security wait times and travel disruptions. 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.
A stable and reliable travel system is essential to sustaining the economic and professional benefits generated by association meetings and events. ASAE is, therefore, respectfully calling on Congress to take immediate action to fully fund DHS and ensure that TSA and other critical agencies have the resources necessary to maintain uninterrupted operations.
They are asking other association leaders to share the letter with their Congressional leadership.
They are also thanking association professionals for our leadership and for supporting the infrastructure that enables millions of Americans to safely travel, convene and contribute to the nation’s economic vitality.