Democrats Protect Americans from Terrorism and Violent Extremism, Republicans Leave Americans Less Safe and Increase Costs for State and Local Governments

House Republicans Support Democratic Effort to Reinstate the Illegally Dismantled Support for State and Local Governments to Prevent Damage and Destruction from Natural Disasters

WASHINGTON — During today’s House Appropriations Committee markup of the fiscal year 2026 Homeland Security funding bill, House Democrats highlighted how the bill raises costs for families recovering from natural disasters, weakens America’s national security, and fails to protect Americans from terrorism and violent extremists.

House Republicans’ Homeland Security bill:

• Fails to protect Americans from terrorism and violent extremists by underfunding programs that enhance Americans’ ability to respond to, prepare for, and counter extremism.
• Weakens our national security through inadequate cybersecurity and infrastructure security investments, despite an increasing number of sophisticated attacks from foreign adversaries against U.S. businesses, schools, and state and local governments.
• Increases costs for state and local governments when communities are struck by natural disasters or extreme weather events.

“With this bill, Republicans are raising costs on the American people, abandoning our constitutional rights, and counting on reconciliation to pay their bills,” Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) said. “Republicans have made a choice to neglect the growing threats to our homeland and put forth a partisan bill that leaves us more vulnerable to catastrophic cyber threats, fails to protect us from terrorism and violent extremists, and abandons our constitutional rights. Trading the safety of our communities to fund tax cuts for billionaires is unacceptable, and I cannot support this bill.

Congresswoman Lauren Underwood’s full remarks are here.

“House Republicans’ Homeland Security funding bill abandons communities recovering from natural disasters and would make Americans less safe and more vulnerable to growing security threats,” Appropriations Committee Ranking Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) said. “Despite the ever-increasing threats against American families, businesses, critical infrastructure, and national institutions, House Republicans’ bill weakens our national security and leaves Americans vulnerable to attacks from our adversaries by sharply cutting cyber and infrastructure security. Additionally, House Republicans do nothing to protect against the Administration’s effort to place the responsibility of disaster recovery and mitigation on the states. In the face of worsening natural disasters, they seek to reduce Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) staffing, and they ignore an $8 billion shortfall in the Disaster Relief Fund. FEMA will run out of money before the end of the year, and House Republicans refuse to provide the money to be able to deal with natural disasters. Instead of focusing on ways to help lower the cost of living, House Republicans are using this bill to gut critical federal resources that help keep the American people safe. I hope we can improve this bill to support our country’s safety and security.”

Congresswoman DeLauro’s full remarks as prepared for delivery are here.

During today’s markup, Democrats forced Republicans to reject the dismantling of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, a tool for state and local governments to prevent the damage and destruction from natural disasters.

Democrats offered several amendments that were rejected by Republicans, including an amendment to protect FEMA and reduce the burden on state and local governments when communities are struck by extreme weather events.

A summary of the bill is here. A fact sheet of the bill is here. 

The text of the bill, before the adoption of amendments in full committee, is here. The bill report, before the adoption of amendments in full Committee, is here. Information on Community Project Funding in the bill is here.

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