Strong Borders, Secure Communities: House Appropriators Conduct DHS Oversight

Washington, D.C. – Today, Homeland Security Subcommittee Chairman Mark Amodei (R-NV) and Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) led an oversight hearing on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to collect testimony from Secretary Kristi Noem on a range of pressing issues. Proceedings focused on DHS efforts to secure the border, combat fentanyl trafficking, strengthen personnel recruitment, and protect critical infrastructure from cyber threats. Members also raised concerns about disaster preparedness, funding transparency, and evolving national security risks.

Homeland Security Subcommittee Chairman Mark Amodei said, "Our authorizing colleagues are working on reconciliation bills that will provide significant investments in the President’s immigration and border security agenda, including funding to the Coast Guard to secure our maritime border. I commend them for their efforts to enable the Department to finish the wall, hire more agents and officers, and bring additional detention beds online... It is our job as members of the Appropriations Committee to make sure the Department is appropriately spending the money Congress provides, as well as to ensure the Department has the resources it needs to execute its mission on an annual basis."

Read Subcommittee Chairman Amodei's remarks here.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole said, “In less than 100 days, we’ve watched our southern border go from chaos to closed. The decisive actions and common-sense measures of the Trump Administration have led to a historic turnaround, driving illegal crossings to record lows and ensuring removal of dangerous criminals. President Trump and his cabinet have delivered on the promise to have the most secure border in modern American history, and our nation is safer as a result. It’s imperative that investments for effective border security and enforcement are strong, and I’m dedicated to working with the members on this Committee and across the Capitol to ensure the Department is properly resourced.”

Read Chairman Cole's remarks here

Rep. John Rutherford said, “I want to ask about these recalcitrant countries - we have 1.2 million deportation orders out there that are waiting for these countries to take them back. I was shocked that under the Biden Administration, Secretary Mayorkas claimed he couldn't send them home because they wouldn't take them... I understand that now that you're in charge of DHS and with the Trump Administration and the State Department working together, there has been some change in that. Can you talk a little bit about how that's going?”

Rep. Dan Newhouse said, "I just wanted to extend an invitation to you, Madam Secretary, to come out to my district to visit the Spokane border sector, as well as the Oroville station and also inland Washington - we have a Coast Guard navigation team in Kennewick, so as sharing border states, it would be a good thing for you to see... Let me ask you about sanctuary jurisdictions. I believe state and local partnerships are truly important for agents and officers at DHS to execute their mission. How have sanctuary jurisdictions or state or municipal governments hindered the agency’s mission to protect the homeland?"

Rep. Ashley Hinson said, "Last year before this Committee, Secretary Mayorkas at the time, came before us pushing the Biden Administration's $4.7 billion southwest border contingency fund. All that really was, was a slush fund designed to bypass Congress and bankroll those failed policies and sanctuary cities doing their bidding. He claimed it was to manage surges, but those surges were of their own doing, sending a clear signal to illegal immigrants, the traffickers, the cartels, that our border was open for business for them. That wasn't enforcement, that was actual chaos at our southern border by the taxpayers' dime. I see that as just one of the many blatant attempts for Secretary Mayorkas and President Biden to misuse those taxpayer dollars intentionally without accountability... I'd like to drill down a little bit, Madam Secretary, on the misuse of those dollars under the last administration. Can you walk us through some of the specific programs or activities under the Biden Administration that enabled this crisis and how you've worked to unwind those programs?"

Rep. Michael Guest said, "As Representative Gonzales said, he and I both serve also on the authorizing committee, and last week we were able to mark up legislation that included roughly $46 billion for additional walls and barriers along the southwest border. I know that is something that, particularly between Republicans and Democrats, we have had a fundamental disagreement. I would ask if you would just take a moment to talk about the importance of the investment in walls, borders, and barriers along the southwest border, and how not only does that make our nation safer, but the importance that it is providing to the men and women who serve at CBP to make sure that they can better perform the duties that we've tasked them with?"

Rep. Tony Gonzales said, "I want to thank you for making your first official trip as Secretary... You went to Del Rio, in my district, and you saw it firsthand. You're not new to this - as Governor, you were very active along that. On that note, I want to get your opinion on states being reimbursed for some of the funding, particularly Texas. What are your thoughts on Texas being reimbursed for some of the funding that we've had to pay for this?... I'll tell you what - it was very difficult to get anything out of your predecessor every time he came before this Committee, other than lying to us and saying the border was secured - when we know it wasn't."

Homeland Security Subcommittee Vice Chair Juan Ciscomani said, "I come from a border state... The security that this administration has been able to deliver to our southern borders in such a short period of time is astounding, and so well-appreciated by those who live and work in these communities... This is the number one feedback I get from my constituents regarding the results that we've seen from this administration, and your leadership has played a key role in that. In the district that I represent, which is much of the Tucson sector of Border Patrol, we have historically seen high numbers of gotaways. I understand there have been around 65,000 gotaways this fiscal year. What resource investments for both technology and infrastructure are you planning to make, and how will those [reduce those numbers] for the future? The gotaways, of course, are troubling... Then, particularly, could you speak onto the technology that we'll be using in, in these rough terrain areas like Southern Arizona, which is so different from other border areas, including my friends in Texas. When you go to Arizona, it's just broad terrain, rough in some areas, hard to even build any kind of barrier wall, so technology plays a big role there. Can you speak to that?"

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said, "I'm very proud of the accomplishments that we've tackled, and we've delivered the most secure border in American history. At the southern border, we have obtained near total control, with daily encounters now down over 93% since President Trump took office. March saw the lowest number of border encounters in recorded history - in the history of the United States of America - at just under 7,200. That means that there were days where we had less than 200 encounters, which again is the lowest in recorded history. Under the previous administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection was at times encountering over 15,000 people a day, which meant efforts were diverted into processing and facilitating an invasion of our country, instead of doing their jobs. This astonishing turnaround is a testament to the resolve and to the leadership of President Trump to make America safe again, and it is accomplished by the incredible work of the people of the Department. The secure border has allowed the border patrol to zero in on cartels and their illicit activity, and President Trump has designated 6 different cartels and criminal gangs as foreign terrorist organizations. This has allowed us to use a whole-of-government approach to go after drug traffickers and human traffickers. In March, fentanyl traffic at the border fell by 54% compared to the previous year. We are enforcing immigration laws to identify, to arrest, detain, and to remove dangerous illegal criminals out of our country, and we're prioritizing individuals that have committed crimes in our communities."

The government’s chief responsibility is to protect the nation and keep Americans safe. The Homeland Security Subcommittee remains committed to advancing policies and investments that uphold this duty. As the Fiscal Year 2026 process moves forward, the testimony gathered during this hearing will help shape legislation that strengthens border security, supports frontline law enforcement, counters the spread of deadly fentanyl, and enhances our preparedness for disasters and emerging threats.

###