Dem pushes TSA to lower PreCheck price for veterans

A House Democrat is pushing the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to lower the price of its PreCheck program for veterans.

{mosads}In a letter to TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger this week, Rep. Bill Pascrell urged the agency to either scrap or discount the expedited screening program’s $85 enrollment fee for veterans.

The New Jersey Democrat raised concern that it may be “prohibitively expensive” for many of them.

“These brave men and women have a long, well documented history of service to our nation,” Pascrell wrote. 

“Given the sacrifice that our nation’s veterans have made, I urge you to examine the feasibility of instituting a program that would allow veterans to participate in the TSA PreCheck program free of charge or with a discounted application fee.”

The PreCheck program allows passengers who have undergone background checks to move through expedited security lanes without taking off their shoes or removing electronics from their bags.

The price of the program covers five years.

TSA officials have heavily relied on PreCheck to ease long airport security lines, which caused major headaches for passengers this spring.

An increasing number of companies have offered to reimburse their employees for the program, while some air carriers have allowed travelers to purchase PreCheck with airline points.

The TSA is in the process of seeking additional vendors to help manage the PreCheck program, which could spur more competition and eventually bring down the cost of enrollment.

Pascrell acknowledged that the application fee covers the administrative costs of conducting background checks. But he pointed out that many veterans have already received security clearances and undergone periodic reinvestigations, which “should make the background process simpler to complete.”