House Homeland Security Committee approves amended funding measure after rejecting dozens of member amendments

The House Committee on Homeland Security on Thursday approved an amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print and voted to transmit the measure to the House Budget Committee, 18-14, after more than three hours of debate and roll-call and voice votes on dozens of member amendments.

The final motion to transmit the committee print and accompanying material passed as recorded votes concluded with 18 ayes and 14 noes. Committee members later were given two calendar days to file supplemental, additional or minority views with the clerk, per the ranking member’s request.

Why it matters: The markup covered large domestic-security spending and policy questions that committee members said could shape how states and localities use federal homeland-security grants. Members debated amendments touching on immigration enforcement, protections for service members’ families, funding to counter antisemitism and other hate crimes, repair and staffing for federal cybersecurity offices, medical care for people detained by Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and security funding for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics and Paralympics.

Major debates and outcomes

- Noncitizen free-speech protection (Carter amendment 016): Representative Carter offered an amendment that would prohibit funds for detention or removal of a noncitizen whose legal status was terminated or visa revoked because they exercised free speech. Carter said the change was needed because, in his view, "free speech is to be protected regardless of its content" and described visits he led to immigration detention centers in Louisiana. The amendment failed by voice vote; a recorded vote was requested and further proceedings were postponed.

- Funding to counter antisemitism (Swalwell amendment 007): Representative Swalwell proposed dedicating up to $500,000,000 from the state homeland security grant program toward countering antisemitism, saying the amendment "funds efforts to protect Americans from antisemitism." He cited Anti-Defamation League incident totals and a presidential executive order (cited in debate as Executive Order 14188) as context. The amendment was not adopted by voice vote; a recorded vote was requested and proceedings were postponed.

- Protections for military spouses (Correa amendment 013): Representative Correa offered an amendment that would bar DHS from removing spouses of active-duty service members except under extradition or treaty obligations and would restrict detention of those spouses unless part of a criminal investigation. Correa said the amendment would protect military readiness and families; the committee did not adopt the amendment by voice vote.

- Family separation and pregnant women (Ramirez amendments 015, 016, 017): Representative Ramirez offered multiple amendments seeking to prohibit use of funds to separate asylum-seeking families and to bar CBP funds from being used to remove pregnant women. Ramirez framed the amendments as preventing what she called "government-sanctioned cruelty" and cited the 2018 "zero tolerance" era and a still-unresolved set of separated children she said numbered about 1,360. Each of these amendments was not adopted by voice vote; recorded votes were requested and proceedings postponed.

- CBP medical care (Thanadar amendment 033): Representative Thanadar spoke for an amendment to require adequate funding so CBP can provide medical care, citing past deaths and Office of Professional Responsibility findings. Thanadar said CBP medical personnel sometimes must wait for approval from nonmedical bureaucrats before treating detainees and argued Congress must ensure detainees retain access to medical care. The amendment was not adopted by voice vote; a recorded vote was requested.

- Cybersecurity staffing at CISA and rehiring (Magaziner amendments 026, 024): Representative Magaziner proposed measures to restore funding and staff at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), including an amendment that would appropriate $25,000,000 to rehire CISA professionals reportedly let go. Magaziner argued this investment was necessary to defend against nation-state and criminal cyber threats. The amendment was not adopted by voice vote; members requested recorded votes that were later tallied during the committee’s return.

- Security funding for the Los Angeles Olympics and Paralympics (Garcia amendments 028, 030): Representative Garcia offered technical amendments clarifying that security funding for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games should explicitly cover the Paralympic Games, noting the events share venues and infrastructure. The proposed clarifications were not adopted by voice vote; recorded votes were requested.

- Other amendments: The committee considered numerous additional amendments on collective bargaining at DHS, restrictions tied to FEMA grant administration, inquiries into specific admitted foreign nationals, and procurement flexibility for border technology. Most of those amendments were rejected by voice vote or failed when the chair announced "the noes have it;" in many cases members requested recorded votes and the committee postponed further proceedings before taking the recorded tallies after a recess.

Selected recorded tallies taken after the recess included multiple amendments that failed by recorded vote tallies (for example, one tally reported during proceedings recorded 10 ayes and 14 noes on an earlier amendment; the final transmission vote was 18 ayes and 14 noes). The committee chair announced the amendment in the nature of a substitute had been agreed to by voice and the committee voted to transmit the measure as amended.

Votes at a glance (select amendments recorded or called during the markup)

- Amendment in the nature of a substitute to committee print (committee print 119a): agreed to by the committee; motion to transmit to House Budget Committee adopted by recorded vote, 18 ayes, 14 noes. - Carter (016) — prohibit funds to remove noncitizens whose status was revoked for speech: not adopted (voice vote; recorded vote requested, proceedings postponed). - Swalwell (007) — dedicate funds to counter antisemitism ($500,000,000 proposed): not adopted (voice vote; recorded vote requested, proceedings postponed). - Correa (013) — bar removal/detention of military spouses absent criminal investigation: not adopted (voice vote; recorded vote requested). - Ramirez (015/016/017 series) — prohibit funds for family separation and bar removal of pregnant women: not adopted (voice votes; recorded votes requested). - Magaziner (026/024) — cybersecurity staffing/CISA rehiring ($25,000,000 proposed): not adopted (voice vote; recorded vote requested). - Thanadar (033) — CBP medical-care funding protections: not adopted (voice vote; recorded vote requested). - Garcia (028/030) — clarify Olympic security funding includes Paralympics: not adopted (voice vote; recorded vote requested).

What members said

Representative Carter (offering amendment 016) said he visited ICE processing centers in Louisiana and argued that the administration "abducted" some people and was revoking legal status for exercising free speech; he urged colleagues to "not be silent or complicit" and to protect free speech.

Representative Swalwell (offering amendment 007) framed his amendment as addressing a growing domestic threat and said, "This amendment funds efforts to protect Americans from antisemitism," calling for a portion of the state homeland security grant program to address security for synagogues and Jewish community centers.

Representative Correa (offering amendment 013) said the amendment would prevent DHS from detaining or removing spouses of active-duty service members "unless it's part of a criminal investigation," and framed the proposal as protecting military readiness.

Representative Ramirez (offering family- and pregnancy-related amendments) spoke at length about family separation, the 2018 zero tolerance policy, and what she described as ongoing harms to children and families; she said her amendments would ensure "no government funds are used to separate asylum-seeking families."

Representative Magaziner argued for restoring cybersecurity staffing at CISA and said the committee should fund the rehiring of experienced professionals to defend critical infrastructure; his amendment proposing about $25 million for rehiring was not adopted.

Representative Thanadar urged funding to ensure detainees in CBP custody receive adequate medical care and said the amendment would preserve "dignity, life, and liberty" by ensuring access to emergency treatment.

Next steps

The committee agreed to transmit the amended committee print and accompanying materials to the House Budget Committee so the measure can be incorporated per the congressional reconciliation directive. Members were granted two calendar days to file supplemental or minority views. The committee chair authorized staff to make technical and conforming changes to the transmitted text.

(Quotes and summaries are drawn from official committee markup remarks reported in the meeting transcript.)