Amodei Remarks at FY27 Homeland Security Bill Subcommittee Markup (As Prepared for Delivery)

June 5, 2026
Remarks

I would first like to thank the Members of the Subcommittee for their participation and insightful questions during our budget hearings in April. As we put together the bill and report, we made a concerted effort to address as many Member priorities as possible. Last year was not typical for the DHS bill. 

Despite having a bipartisan and bicameral agreement on a complete Fiscal Year 2026 bill, which passed the House several times, our colleagues in the Senate could not pass a bill that funded Border Patrol and ICE operations because of disputes about reforms in the wake of two shootings in Minneapolis. 

The result was a completely avoidable shutdown that lasted for 75 days – the longest in history. The upper chamber decided to send us a bill with those two components pulled out – and with none of the oversight provisions we normally include. 

Let me reiterate – the bill that the Senate sent us did not include provisions we’ve carried for years that ensure ICE adheres to certain standards for the 287(g) program or inspection requirements for their detention facilities. Provisions that allowed for real oversight by Congress. There is plenty of blame to go around – but most of it belongs to our Senate Democratic colleagues who rejected several extraordinarily generous White House concessions. They picked the “defund ICE” talking point over real policy change. 

So here we are, the Senate passed reconciliation last night, providing base funding for day-to-day operations and support for ICE and Border Patrol until the end of the Administration. Next week the House will likely take it up, but reconciliation is not the way we should fund regular operations of agencies. 

This bill represents a return to regular order and reaffirms the Committee’s critical role in funding and overseeing the federal government by funding ICE and Border Patrol through the annual appropriations process.

In terms of the details in this bill, it takes into account the substantial one-time investment of nearly $191 billion in the first reconciliation package and does not duplicate those funding decisions, but instead focuses on base requirements such as:

  • Fully funding 22,000 Border Patrol Agents;
  • Maintaining 41,500 detention beds, so that ICE can fulfill the Administration’s priority of detaining and deporting all criminal and removable aliens; and
  • Providing $40 million for body-worn cameras for DHS law enforcement personnel – double last year’s level.

We build on investments in fiscal year 2026 by providing the Coast Guard increases of: 

  • $135 million to counter China by increasing the Coast Guard’s Indo-Pacific footprint;
  • $48 million for overdue facility maintenance; and
  • $45 million for maintenance shortfalls.

Additionally, we provide $148 million for the Waterways Commerce Cutters and $69 million for unmanned aircraft. 

DHS has an important role to play defending critical infrastructure and Federal networks against cyberattacks, but CISA strayed from the authority given to it by Congress.

We have responsibly streamlined the agency’s budget by eliminating duplicative contracts and positions, and returned CISA’s focus to securing our Nation’s cyber and physical infrastructure.

But China and other nation-state adversaries continue to target our cyber defenses, so this bill includes strategic investments in CISA personnel and programs that mitigate cyber threats.

Additionally, this bill ensures our communities have the necessary funding to respond to natural and man-made disasters by: 

  • Providing an increase of approximately 2.5% for all FEMA grant programs, including those that aid volunteer fire departments; and
  • Increasing the Nonprofit Security Grant Program by $15 million so houses of worship and other institutions can reduce terrorist and other attacks.

In short, this bill ensures that we fund the core mission of the Department – protecting the Homeland. I want to thank the staff on the subcommittee, both on the majority and minority, for their tireless work on the bill and report. 

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