House Homeland Security Appropriations Bill Advances After Contentious Subcommittee Markup

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security voted to report its fiscal 2026 Homeland Security appropriations draft to the full committee after opening statements that sharply divided members over funding priorities for the Department of Homeland Security.

Representative Underwood, the subcommittee ranking member from Illinois, opened the markup with a broad critique of the bill’s priorities, saying the draft “does nothing to protect Americans from being targeted” and warning it would allow immigration enforcement actions that she described as violating due process and civil liberties. She also criticized proposed reductions to cybersecurity and emergency management staffing, saying the bill “abandons our neighbors after a crisis” and noting the draft cuts roughly $130,000,000 to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and $93,000,000 to FEMA personnel.

The ranking member of the full committee, Representative DeLauro of Connecticut, echoed those concerns and said she opposed the bill. DeLauro criticized proposed cuts to cyber and infrastructure security and the elimination of targeted violence and terrorism prevention grants, and she warned that changes to FEMA funding would harm state and local capacity to respond to disasters. She also noted that more than $100,000,000,000 in FEMA-related funding has been frozen by the administration and pointed to an $8,000,000,000 shortfall in the disaster relief fund. DeLauro cited recent storm and flood damage in Connecticut as an example of how FEMA funding and programs such as Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) support local recovery and mitigation.

In contrast, Representative Cole, chairman of the full committee from Oklahoma, described the bill as a necessary set of investments to ‘‘keep Americans safe and secure.’’ Cole said the draft sustains border security efforts by funding 22,000 border patrol agents, increasing ICE detention beds by 50,000, and providing technology to detect illegal immigration and fentanyl trafficking. He also highlighted funding for Coast Guard assets including three fast response cutters and a service life extension to deploy an additional Indo-Pacific support cutter, and said the bill makes ‘‘strategic cuts to unauthorized missions’’ to refocus homeland security agencies on core responsibilities.

Members discussed other program-level impacts referenced in opening remarks. Representative Underwood noted that the bill omits funding for a longstanding U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) citizenship and integration program that supports community- and faith-based organizations providing English and naturalization preparation services. Representative DeLauro emphasized BRIC’s return on investment, saying mitigation programs save multiple dollars for every federal dollar spent and warning that freezing or cutting those funds jeopardizes local mitigation projects, including a previously announced $25,000,000 FEMA flood-control allocation for New Haven, Connecticut that she said is at risk.

Procedurally, Representative Rutherford moved that the subcommittee report the bill favorably to the full committee. A recorded vote was requested and held; the clerk announced the ayes were 8 and the nos were 4, and the motion to report the bill to the full committee carried. The subcommittee also granted unanimous consent for staff to make technical and conforming changes to the bill and the report; copies were to be delivered to full committee members’ offices no later than three business days before the full committee markup.

The markup included exchanges about leadership and qualifications at FEMA; Representative Underwood and Representative DeLauro raised concerns about FEMA’s leadership experience and the agency’s preparedness as the country approaches hurricane and wildfire seasons. Underwood referenced testimony from recent hearings and said the acting FEMA administrator and acting deputy administrator have ‘‘little to no emergency management experience.’’ DeLauro quoted Connecticut emergency management officials on the importance of federal support for local emergency management offices.

The subcommittee adjourned after concluding the markup and delivering the bill and report to staff for distribution to the full committee.