Amodei Remarks during Floor Consideration of H.R. 7744, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026 (As Prepared)

As the Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee, I rise today in strong support for the Fiscal Year 2026 Homeland Security Appropriations bill. Later today we will vote on this bill for the second time in two months. It shouldn't be necessary. The Committee negotiated a full-year bill on a bicameral and bipartisan basis. Our bill includes reforms like funding for body-worn cameras and de-escalation training, but the Senate Democrats continue to insist on radical proposals which would prevent the enforcement of immigration law. So, it's disappointing that we must cajole our Democratic colleagues to support this bipartisan bill once again, but here we are.

The Department of Homeland Security has now been shut down for more than three weeks – with no apparent end in sight. This shutdown has real consequences, but unfortunately, my colleagues across the aisle seem intent on punishing the hard-working men and women of the Department. FEMA grants and training courses that support our local first responders are on hold. Preparations for the World Cup have been delayed. Transportation Security Officers, who ensure American air travel is safe and secure, received only a partial paycheck this week. And in two weeks it will be a full missed paycheck.

Our frontline cyber defenders who protect federal networks and critical infrastructure, like our power and water systems, against attacks from China, Russia, and Iran continue to work without pay. Countless others who work at DHS to keep Americans secure day in and day out have to figure out how to make ends meet. Utility bills, mortgages, car payments, and grocery bills don't stop coming because the Democrats in the Senate have decided to hold this bill hostage. Like in the last shutdown, the Department has stepped in and used reconciliation dollars to fully fund the pay for 78,000 law enforcement and support professionals throughout DHS. And our Coastguardsmen and women – some of whom are in the direct line of fire in Bahrain due to the recent hostilities in Iran – will receive paychecks on the 1st and the 15th, but the civilians supporting their work are going unpaid. But despite all of the pain this shutdown has caused in the non-immigration parts of the Department, immigration and removal operations will continue. Wall construction will continue. Anything funded by reconciliation will continue.

The good work the Department does outside of immigration enforcement like TSA, FEMA, and CISA have shouldered the brunt of this ill-advised shutdown. The time to fund the Department of Homeland Security is now. I urge my Democratic colleagues to do the right thing for the almost 200,000 employees of the Department and for the security of the country. Vote yes, and end this shutdown. I yield back the balance of my time.