Homeland Security Funding Bill Makes Americans More Vulnerable to Terrorism and Violent Extremism

WASHINGTON — House Appropriations Committee Republicans today released their draft 2026 Homeland Security funding bill, which will be considered in subcommittee tomorrow. The bill covers agencies, offices, and programs in the Department of Homeland Security, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the United States Secret Service, the Transportation Security Administration, the Coast Guard, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. 

For 2026, the bill provides $99.1 billion for the Department of Homeland Security. The legislation:

• 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.
• Abandons constitutional rights upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court to ensure due process and prevent further wrongful, unlawful removals.

“With this bill, Republicans are raising costs on the American people, abandoning our constitutional rights, and counting on reconciliation to pay their bills,” said Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14). “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 completely abandons our due process and constitutional rights. Trading the safety of our communities to fund tax cuts for billionaires is unacceptable, and I cannot support this bill.”

“House Republicans are making Americans less safe. Their 2026 Homeland Security funding bill leaves communities across the country vulnerable to terrorism and violent extremism,” Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) said. “Despite the ever-changing and ever-increasing threats against American families, businesses, critical infrastructure, and institutions, their bill weakens our national security, opens the door to foreign propaganda, and leaves Americans vulnerable to attacks from our adversaries by closing the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) Office and sharply cutting cybersecurity and infrastructure security. House Republicans fail to protect Americans from terrorism and violent extremism by totally eliminating grants which help local leaders and law enforcement to identify threats and intervene before violence occurs. This bill leaves communities vulnerable to worsening natural disasters and abandons communities that need help so they can continue to pay for tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations. Their actions fail their responsibility to keep Americans safe.”

A summary of House Republicans’ 2026 Homeland Security bill is here. A fact sheet of the bill is here. The full text of the bill is here. The subcommittee markup will be webcast live and linked on the House Committee on Appropriations website.

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