Next Gov FCW
Edward Graham
16 May 2024
The Transportation Security Administration chief told lawmakers that it will take until 2049 to deploy facial recognition technology at U.S. airports if significant revenue from the 9/11 security fee continues to be diverted away from the agency.
During a House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security hearing on TSA’s fiscal year 2025 budget request, Pekoske said the use of facial biometrics “increases performance in this critical first element of checkpoint screening,” but noted that the agency is not allocating enough financial resources to this effort.
“At the rate of investment in the FY25 request, which is $9 million, our capital investment plan shows this project will be completed in 2049,” he said, adding that the agency can accelerate the technology’s deployment with more dedicated funding, since it already “has the vendors and processes in place” to complete the initiative by the end of this decade.
TSA first began deploying facial recognition at airports in 2022 as an update to its Credential Authentication Technology, or CAT, devices. The technology compares real-time photos of travelers against their government-issued identifications. The facial biometrics have been rolled out at more than 80 airports, with the agency planning to deploy the technology at over 400...
