Ranking Member Cuellar Remarks During Full Committee Markup for Fiscal Year 2027 Homeland Security Funding Bill

WASHINGTON — Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee, prepared the following remarks for delivery at the full committee markup of the fiscal year 2027 Homeland Security funding bill:

Chairman Cole and Ranking Member DeLauro, thank you for your leadership, and thank you to Chairman Amodei for the partnership we have shared in developing this bill.

As this is your final Homeland Security bill, I want to express my appreciation for the professionalism, integrity, and collegiality you have brought to this Committee.

As I mentioned at our subcommittee markup last week, the process of working with you and your team in drafting this important bill has been a good one, consistent with the tradition of this subcommittee.

I also want to thank our staff on both sides of the aisle whose expertise and dedication make this process possible.

I’d like to specifically thank our Committee staff: On the minority — our clerk, Shannon McCully, Jamie Wise, and Jim Ellsworth; On the majority — Paul Anstine, Anna Lanier Fischer, Fern Gibbons, Ashley Truluck, Alessandra Ramirez, and Nkosi Thomas; And on my personal staff — my chief, Patrick O’Connor, and Hugh Bayard.

Before we discuss funding levels, amendments, or policy priorities, I think it is important to remember why this Committee exists in the first place.

The Framers understood that control over government spending was not merely a budgetary function. It was a constitutional safeguard.

Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution is clear. “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.”

The Constitution places that responsibility in Congress because accountability to the American people requires public debate, public oversight, and public transparency.

James Madison understood this well. In Federalist No. 58, he described the power of the purse as “the most complete and effectual weapon with which any constitution can arm the immediate representatives of the people.”

That principle remains just as important today as it was nearly 250 years ago. The Department of Homeland Security is one of the most important agencies in the federal government.

Whether Americans live on the border, travel through an airport, rely on disaster assistance after a hurricane, or work in industries that depend on secure trade and commerce, DHS touches their lives every day. Its mission is essential. But this bill is different.

This is the only bill that did not completely finish in FY 2026. And it is the only bill that has seen an unprecedented amount of funding directed to the Department from committees outside this room.

What we are doing today and tomorrow — having open and public debate about federal funding — is part of the process that keeps us accountable to the American taxpayer.

However, as we know, the Senate last week passed another partisan bill and the House today passed the bill, providing roughly $70 billion more for the Department.

Combined with the more than $191 billion the Department received last year, that brings DHS funding to roughly $260 billion outside the regular review of this Committee — the Committee charged with funding the Department of Homeland Security.

That should concern every appropriator.

Not because Congress is entitled to authority, but because the American people are entitled to accountability.

This Committee’s role is grounded in Article I of the Constitution, and we should never take that responsibility lightly.

For example, with all the additional funding, how much was set aside for the Inspector General to ensure that this massive amount of taxpayer dollars is not wasted, misused, or lost to contracts that were not properly competed?

The answer is zero, none. The power of the purse and the duty of oversight are inseparable. Oversight is one of Congress’ core constitutional responsibilities.

At a time when federal funding is increasing dramatically, Congress should be strengthening — not weakening — the oversight tools that protect taxpayers, prevent waste, fraud, and abuse, and ensure agencies comply with congressional intent.

The American people deserve confidence that every taxpayer dollar is being spent responsibly. Long after all of us leave this room, the precedents we establish here will remain. 

The question before us is not whether a Republican or Democratic administration that occupies the White House. The question before us is whether Congress will continue to faithfully exercise the constitutional responsibilities entrusted to us by the American people.

That responsibility belongs to all of us, regardless of party, administration, or ideology. That responsibility belongs here in the appropriations room.

Today, whether we are discussing border security, disaster response, aviation security, cybersecurity, or immigration enforcement, the principle remains unchanged.

Strong government and accountable government are not opposing ideas. In America, they are supposed to go hand in hand.

This year, the Chairman worked with me to address concerns we heard from local communities in South Texas regarding enforcement activities. I appreciate that partnership and the willingness to engage on issues affecting our constituents.

We all recognize our responsibility to provide DHS with the resources necessary to carry out its mission.

But it is equally our responsibility to ensure those resources are appropriated and that the Department remains accountable to the public it serves.

Security and accountability are not competing values. They are complementary responsibilities.

That is why I believe there is more work we can do regarding transparency, oversight, accountability, and ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent effectively and consistent with congressional intent.

Likewise, while I appreciate provisions protecting certain sensitive areas from border wall construction, I continue to believe that lasting border security requires more than physical infrastructure alone

With border encounters near historic lows, we should ask whether every dollar is being spent in the most effective way possible — especially in areas where rapid construction can cause damage to lands and communities that cannot be undone.

Modern border security requires technology, personnel, intelligence, lawful trade facilitation, and cooperation with local communities. Lasting security comes from using every tool available — not relying on any single solution.

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate your willingness to work together throughout this process.

I look forward to the debate we will have today. And as mentioned, I appreciate that this is the start of our process and a step toward getting this bill to a bipartisan place.

As we continue this debate, I hope we remember that the issue before us is larger than any one administration, any one department, or any one bill.

It is about whether Congress will faithfully exercise the constitutional responsibilities entrusted to us by the Constitution.

James Madison called the power of the purse “the most complete and effectual weapon” of the people’s representatives.

That power carries with it an equally important obligation: oversight. The power of the purse and the duty of oversight are inseparable.

The American people sent us here to secure the homeland, protect taxpayer dollars, and uphold the constitutional system that has preserved both our liberty and our security for nearly 250 years.

We can do all three. We should do all three. And if we do our jobs well, we will.

I yield back.