Airfare is getting more expensive. The Transportation Security Administration is raising security fees. Fox News has a report on it. But in the interests of intellectual honesty, we here on a Republican site and I, a formerly elected Republican official, do need to point out that the American public has Paul Ryan and the GOP to blame for it.

The House Republicans let Paul Ryan and Patty Murray from the Senate come up with a budget plan that increased spending, scrapped sequestration cuts, cut veterans benefits, and raised taxes. “Nooooooooooo,” the GOP said, “It’s not a tax increase, just a ‘fee’ increase.”

The reality is, given how many American travel each year, Paul Ryan’s “fee” increase amounts to a tax increase. He came up with it. The GOP supported it and defended it. And now you are paying more to fly because of it.

The punch line, though more like a punch in the nuts for the GOP, is found right here:

Congress, which voted for this increase fee, has indicated that it is to reduce the overall deficit, not necessarily go to better airport security.

That’s right. Much like the GOP used Iraq war funding to hide their massive spike in domestic spending, they decided to use airport security fee increases to cover their ditching sequestration.

This is another reason Republican voters hate their Washington leaders so much. With guys like Paul Ryan willing to fund tax increases hiding behind “security,” who really needs the Democrats.