Bart Jansen

USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — An overburdened TSA pleaded with Congress on Wednesday for more money to pay security screeners overtime as an expected surge in summer travel threatens to overwhelm already jam-packed airport lines.

Congressional committees considered the request Wednesday, but only the Senate panel approved shifting $34 million from one TSA account to another so it can hire and train 768 new officers and pay overtime for its 42,500 officers to keep up with the summer crush. House counterparts said they would study the proposal.

TSA knew travel would peak over the summer and "simply failed to plan responsibly," said Rep. John Carter, R-Texas, who heads the Appropriations subcommittee for Homeland Security.

Congress typically allows agencies that provide a written explanation to shift money among accounts, but lawmakers who object can block the move.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson didn't say how much money he needed or which account it would come from. TSA would use the money to pay screening officers overtime to work longer hours at high volume airports, he said. Without it, Johnson said, travelers would experience even lengthier lines to pass through body scanners on their way to summer vacations.

Travelers have complained for months about waits exceeding 30 minutes at security, with the most trouble reported at Minneapolis, Seattle and Charlotte airports.

TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger warned in March that wait times nearly doubled from last year. TSA also stepped up security following the terror attacks in Paris, Brussels and Egypt over the past year. And a watchdog report last year that found screeners missed hidden weapons also spurred TSA officials to scrutinize travelers and their carry-on bags more closely.

Add to that an estimated 8% uptick in the number of travelers flying this summer, Neffenger said.

Keeping travelers safe can be done "without travelers waiting in security lines for hours on end,” said Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee for Homeland Security.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the panel, said "missed flights and wait times of an hour or more are wearing on customers."

TSA braces for spring-break travel surge

Airport officials praised the proposal but said other changes could also alleviate long lines and make security checks easier on travelers. Kevin Burke, CEO of Airports Council International-North America, and Todd Hauptli, CEO of American Association of Airport Executives, said TSA officials on site should be able to shift officers to different positions and have them work overtime without first consulting headquarters.

Roger Dow, CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, also welcomed Johnson's proposal as a way to smooth summer travel.

"It’s alarmingly likely that the mere perception of security hassles at U.S. airports will have an effect on travel," Dow said.

TSA shortening security lines with dogs, Precheck

The TSA has taken some steps to alleviate the bottlenecks, including shifting 28 teams of bomb-sniffing dogs from smaller airports to those where lines have grown the worst.

Security officials also made a public push for travelers to join Precheck, which allows the pre-screened travelers to keep on shoes and belts, and leave laptops and small containers of liquids in carry-on bags as they pass through the checkpoints. Precheck registered 2.36 million members by the end of March, but officials want to recruit millions more. To join, travelers pay $85 for five years and provide fingerprints and some biographical information.