[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7744 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7744
Making appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security for the
fiscal year ending September 30, 2026, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 2, 2026
Mr. Cole introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Appropriations, and in addition to the Committee on the
Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the
jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
Making appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security for the
fiscal year ending September 30, 2026, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Department of Homeland Security
Appropriations Act, 2026''.
SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Sec. 1. Short title.
Sec. 2. Table of contents.
Sec. 3. References.
Sec. 4. Explanatory statement.
Sec. 5. Statement of appropriations.
DIVISION A--DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS
DIVISION B--FURTHER ADDITIONAL CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2026
SEC. 3. REFERENCES.
Except as expressly provided otherwise, any reference to ``this
Act'' contained in division A of this Act shall be treated as referring
only to the provisions of that division.
SEC. 4. EXPLANATORY STATEMENT.
The explanatory statement regarding H.R. 7147 of the 119th
Congress, printed in the House of Representatives section of the
Congressional Record on January 22, 2026, and submitted by the chair of
the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives, shall
have the same effect with respect to the allocation of funds and
implementation of this Act as if it were a joint explanatory statement
of a committee of conference.
SEC. 5. STATEMENT OF APPROPRIATIONS.
The following sums in this Act are appropriated, out of any money
in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the fiscal year ending
September 30, 2026.
DIVISION A--DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS
TITLE I
DEPARTMENTAL MANAGEMENT, INTELLIGENCE, SITUATIONAL AWARENESS, AND
OVERSIGHT
Office of the Secretary and Executive Management
operations and support
For necessary expenses of the Office of the Secretary and for
executive management for operations and support, $316,295,000, which
shall be for the purposes and in the amounts specified in the ``Final
Bill'' column for Office of the Secretary and Executive Management,
Operations and Support, in the ``Department of Homeland Security
Appropriations Act, 2026'' table in the explanatory statement described
in section 4 (in the matter preceding division A of this consolidated
Act), of which $14,050,000 of amounts made available for Management and
Oversight, Office of Health Security and $8,000,000 of amounts made
available for Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans shall remain
available until September 30, 2027: Provided, That $5,000,000 shall be
withheld from obligation until the Secretary submits to the Committees
on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate
responses to all questions for the record for each hearing on the
fiscal year 2027 budget submission for the Department of Homeland
Security held by such Committees prior to July 1: Provided further,
That not to exceed $15,000 shall be for official reception and
representation expenses.
procurement, construction, and improvements
For necessary expenses of the Office of the Secretary and for
executive management for procurement, construction, and improvements,
$8,911,000, to remain available until September 30, 2028.
Management Directorate
operations and support
For necessary expenses of the Management Directorate for operations
and support, including vehicle fleet modernization, $1,690,380,000,
which shall be for the purposes and in the amounts specified in the
``Final Bill'' column for Management Directorate, Operations and
Support, in the ``Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act,
2026'' table in the explanatory statement described in section 4 (in
the matter preceding division A of this consolidated Act): Provided,
That not to exceed $2,000 shall be for official reception and
representation expenses.
procurement, construction, and improvements
For necessary expenses of the Management Directorate for
procurement, construction, and improvements, $58,106,000, to remain
available until September 30, 2028.
federal protective service
The revenues and collections of security fees credited to this
account shall be available until expended for necessary expenses
related to the protection of federally owned and leased buildings and
for the operations of the Federal Protective Service.
Intelligence, Analysis, and Situational Awareness
operations and support
For necessary expenses of the Office of Intelligence and Analysis
and the Office of Homeland Security Situational Awareness for
operations and support, $340,819,000, of which $121,274,000 shall
remain available until September 30, 2027: Provided, That not to
exceed $3,825 shall for be official reception and representation
expenses and not to exceed $2,000,000 is available for facility needs
associated with secure space at fusion centers, including improvements
to buildings.
Office of Inspector General
operations and support
For necessary expenses of the Office of Inspector General for
operations and support, $257,599,000, of which $20,000,000 shall be for
additional inspections and oversight of detention facilities and shall
remain available until September 30, 2027, and of which $12,814,000
shall be for oversight of the execution of funds provided in Public Law
119-21: Provided, That not to exceed $300,000 may be used for certain
confidential operational expenses, including the payment of informants,
to be expended at the direction of the Inspector General.
Administrative Provisions
Sec. 101. (a) The Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit a
report not later than October 15, 2026, to the Inspector General of the
Department of Homeland Security listing all grants and contracts
awarded by any means other than full and open competition during fiscal
years 2025 or 2026.
(b) The Inspector General shall review the report required by
subsection (a) to assess departmental compliance with applicable laws
and regulations and report the results of that review to the Committees
on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate not
later than February 15, 2027.
Sec. 102. (a) Not later than 30 days after the last day of each
month, the Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Homeland
Security shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations of the House
of Representatives and the Senate a monthly budget and staffing report
that includes total obligations of the Department for that month and
for the fiscal year at the appropriation and program, project, and
activity levels, by the source year of the appropriation.
(b) The initial staffing report submitted pursuant to subsection
(a) shall be the baseline for which the Department of Homeland Security
may increase or decrease staffing levels for any program, project, or
activity pursuant to section 503(a)(4) of this Act.
Sec. 103. (a) The Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation
with the Secretary of the Treasury, shall notify the Committees on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate of any
proposed transfers of funds available under section 9705(g)(4)(B) of
title 31, United States Code, from the Department of the Treasury
Forfeiture Fund to any agency within the Department of Homeland
Security.
(b) None of the funds identified for such a transfer may be
obligated until the Committees on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives and the Senate are notified of the proposed transfer.
Sec. 104. All official costs associated with the use of Government
aircraft by Department of Homeland Security personnel to support
official travel of the Secretary and the Deputy Secretary shall be paid
from amounts made available for the Office of the Secretary.
Sec. 105. (a) The Under Secretary for Management shall brief the
Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the
Senate not later than 45 days after the end of each fiscal quarter on
all Level 1 and Level 2 acquisition programs on the Master Acquisition
Oversight List between Acquisition Decision Event and Full Operational
Capability, including programs that have been removed from such list
during the preceding quarter.
(b) For each such program, the briefing described in subsection (a)
shall include--
(1) a description of the purpose of the program, including
the capabilities being acquired and the component(s) sponsoring
the acquisition;
(2) the total number of units, as appropriate, to be
acquired annually until procurement is complete under the
current acquisition program baseline;
(3) the Acquisition Review Board status, including--
(A) the current acquisition phase by increment, as
applicable;
(B) the date of the most recent review; and
(C) whether the program has been paused or is in
breach status;
(4) a comparison between the initial Department-approved
acquisition program baseline cost, schedule, and performance
thresholds and objectives and the program's current such
thresholds and objectives, if applicable;
(5) the lifecycle cost estimate, adjusted for comparison to
the Future Years Homeland Security Program, including--
(A) the confidence level for the estimate;
(B) the fiscal years included in the estimate;
(C) a breakout of the estimate for the prior five
years, the current year, and the budget year;
(D) a breakout of the estimate by appropriation
account or other funding source; and
(E) a description of and rationale for any changes
to the estimate as compared to the previously approved
baseline, as applicable, and during the prior fiscal
year;
(6) a summary of the findings of any independent
verification and validation of the items to be acquired or an
explanation for why no such verification and validation has
been performed;
(7) a table displaying the obligation of all program funds
by prior fiscal year, the estimated obligation of funds for the
current fiscal year, and an estimate for the planned carryover
of funds into the subsequent fiscal year;
(8) a listing of prime contractors and major
subcontractors; and
(9) narrative descriptions of risks to cost, schedule, or
performance that could result in a program breach if not
successfully mitigated.
(c) The Under Secretary for Management shall submit each approved
Acquisition Decision Memorandum for programs described in this section
to the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and
the Senate not later than five business days after the date of approval
of such memorandum by the Under Secretary for Management or the
designee of the Under Secretary for Management.
Sec. 106. (a) None of the funds made available to the Department of
Homeland Security in this Act or prior appropriations Acts may be
obligated for any new pilot or demonstration unless the component or
office carrying out such pilot or demonstration has documented the
information described in subsection (c).
(b) Prior to the obligation of any such funds made available for
``Operations and Support'' for a new pilot or demonstration, the Under
Secretary for Management shall provide a report to the Committees on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate on the
information described in subsection (c).
(c) The information required under subsections (a) and (b) for a
pilot or demonstration shall include the following--
(1) documented objectives that are well-defined and
measurable;
(2) an assessment methodology that details--
(A) the type and source of assessment data;
(B) the methods for, and frequency of, collecting
such data; and
(C) how such data will be analyzed; and
(3) an implementation plan, including milestones, cost
estimates, and implementation schedules, including a projected
end date.
(d) Not later than 90 days after the date of completion of a pilot
or demonstration described in subsection (e), the Under Secretary for
Management shall provide a report to the Committees on Appropriations
of the House of Representatives and the Senate detailing lessons
learned, actual costs, any planned expansion or continuation of the
pilot or demonstration, and any planned transition of such pilot or
demonstration into an enduring program or operation.
(e) For the purposes of this section, a pilot or demonstration
program is a study, demonstration, experimental program, or trial
that--
(1) is a small-scale, short-term experiment conducted in
order to evaluate feasibility, duration, costs, or adverse
events, and improve upon the design of an effort prior to
implementation of a larger scale effort; and
(2) uses more than 10 full-time equivalents or obligates,
or proposes to obligate, $5,000,000 or more, but does not
include congressionally directed programs or enhancements and
does not include programs that were in operation as of the date
of the enactment of this Act.
(f) For the purposes of this section, a pilot or demonstration does
not include any testing, evaluation, or initial deployment phase
executed under a procurement contract for the acquisition of
information technology services or systems, or any pilot or
demonstration carried out by a non-Federal recipient under any
financial assistance agreement funded by the Department.
Sec. 107. (a) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made
available by this Act may be used by the Office of Intelligence and
Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security to conduct a covered
activity (as defined by section 6303 of the Intelligence Authorization
Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (division F of Public Law 118-159)).
(b) Nothing in this section shall be construed as limiting or
superseding the authority of any official within the Department of
Homeland Security to conduct legal, privacy, civil rights, or civil
liberties oversight of the intelligence activities of the Office of
Intelligence and Analysis.
(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit, or to
limit the authority of, personnel of the Office of Intelligence and
Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security from sharing
intelligence information with, or receiving information from--
(1) foreign, State, local, tribal, or territorial
governments (or any agency or subdivision thereof);
(2) the private sector; or
(3) other elements of the Federal Government, including the
components of the Department of Homeland Security.
Sec. 108. (a) The Inspector General shall report to the Committees
on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate on a
quarterly basis on oversight of the funding provided to the Department
in Public Law 119-21.
(b) The quarterly report required in subsection (a) shall include--
(1) a review of the spend plans for every program, project,
or activity funded by the Department under Public Law 119-21,
including the current status of obligated funds compared to
spend plan projections; and
(2) a summary of the audits being conducted on the
Department's contracting, procurement, and acquisition
activities resulting from Public Law 119-21.
(c) Beginning one year after the date of enactment of this Act, and
annually thereafter, the Inspector General shall submit a comprehensive
report to the Committees on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives and the Senate on the audits, inspections, and
evaluations conducted on funds provided and activities undertaken in
Public Law 119-21 and shall also provide recommendations in such report
on ways to improve effectiveness and efficiency and prevent waste,
fraud, and abuse of such programs and funds.
Sec. 109. (a) For an additional amount for ``Office of the
Secretary and Executive Management--Operations and Support--Office of
the Secretary'', $20,000,000, for the procurement, deployment, and
operations of body-worn cameras for agents and officers performing
enforcement activities under 8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.
(b) Within 30 days of the date of enactment of this Act, the
Secretary shall provide the Committees on Appropriations of the House
of Representatives and the Senate a spend plan for the execution of
funding provided in subsection (a).
TITLE II
SECURITY, ENFORCEMENT, AND INVESTIGATIONS
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
operations and support
(including transfer of funds)
For necessary expenses of U.S. Customs and Border Protection for
operations and support, including the transportation of unaccompanied
alien minors; the provision of air and marine support to Federal,
State, local, and international agencies in the enforcement or
administration of laws enforced by the Department of Homeland Security;
at the discretion of the Secretary of Homeland Security, the provision
of such support to Federal, State, and local agencies in other law
enforcement and emergency humanitarian efforts; the purchase and lease
of up to 7,500 (6,500 for replacement only) police-type vehicles; the
purchase, maintenance, or operation of marine vessels, aircraft, and
unmanned aerial systems; and contracting with individuals for personal
services abroad; $17,727,974,000; of which $3,274,000 shall be derived
from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund for administrative expenses
related to the collection of the Harbor Maintenance Fee pursuant to
section 9505(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C.
9505(c)(3)) and notwithstanding section 1511(e)(1) of the Homeland
Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 551(e)(1)); of which $550,000,000 shall
be available until September 30, 2027; and of which such sums as become
available in the Customs User Fee Account, except sums subject to
section 13031(f)(