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Senators and DHS secretary clash over border enforcement claims and budget priorities
Summary
Senators pressed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on the department’s fiscal year 2026 priorities, enforcement numbers and requests for more Border Patrol, ICE and Coast Guard resources while opponents in the hearing accused the department of withholding congressionally appropriated funds and violating statutory limits.
Secretary Kristi Noem told the Senate Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee that the Trump administration’s first 100 days produced “a drastic turnaround in homeland security,” saying the administration has restored Border Patrol authority and reduced encounters at the Southwest border.
Noem said March 2025 saw “the lowest number of encounters in this nation's history” and that Border Patrol encountered “only 7,181 people,” adding that the reductions allowed agents to “0 in on the cartels and on illicit activities.”
The hearing quickly turned contentious. Senator Chris Murphy accused the department of overreach, saying, “Your department is out of control.” Murphy and other Democrats pressed Noem on whether department actions — including pausing or redirecting some grant accounts — violate appropriations law and undermine other DHS missions such as cybersecurity and disaster mitigation.
Why it matters: The subcommittee is responsible for allocating DHS’s budget. Lawmakers repeatedly pressed Noem for…
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