Congress never authorized it.
Federal agencies can charge the public only fees that Congress authorizes. TSA’s only claimed authority is a 2005 appropriations provision allowing fees for “registered traveler” programs.
When Congress wrote that law, “Registered Traveler” meant a specific kind of program. Travelers enrolled in advance, passed a background check, and received a biometric card that got them through security faster. Confirm.ID is the opposite. It gives you no card and no membership, only a payment receipt, and it subjects you to more screening, not less.
In June 2026, the House Appropriations Committee stated that “there is no valid statutory authority for TSA to collect a fee from these passengers.” (H.R. Rep. No. 119-697, at 56 (2026).)