(Source:  Wall Street Journal)

Ok. Ok. So this might be a bit wonky, but we never let a good chart go to waste.

This one – which appeared in a GAO report released Tuesday – shows the declining uncommitted balance in the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, a pool of money used to help pay for services such as the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Aviation Administration.

The trust fund grew over the years mostly from the 7.5% excise tax on tickets and the federal segment fee of $3.40 assessed on every flight. Fuel taxes and other federal fees, like the international arrivals and departure tax, go into the fund as well. As ticket prices decline and travel slows, those taxes don’t produce as much revenue, and the government has been drawing down the fund, which originally was set up to pay for future modernization of air travel. The GAO reported that the uncommitted balance in the Trust Fund has decreased since fiscal year 2001.

Click here to read the entire article.