The House Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee on Tuesday morning quickly approved their recommendations for the fiscal year 2025 budget for the Department of Homeland Security with the full committee set to take up the proposal on June 12.
The $64.8 billion bill passed by voice vote but lacks bipartisan support as subcommittee Democrats oppose the proposed funding, complaining among other things that it strips $2.1 billion from Border Patrol operations, eliminates the Shelter and Services Program that provides humanitarian support to non-federal entities for illegal migrants, adds $600 million for more border wall construction, fails to invest in communities’ needs for climate resiliency, and fails to invest in cyber and infrastructure security.
The subcommittee is proposing $2.9 billion for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, $57.8 million more than Congress provided in FY ’24 but $78.2 million below the Biden administration’s request.
Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.), chairman of the subcommittee, highlighted that the panel’s recommendation is $2.9 billion above the FY ’24 budget and includes a record $300 million for border security technology. The subcommittee has yet to detail the border technology funds.
Amodei also highlighted that the bill includes $305 million for non-intrusive inspection systems, which scan vehicles, cargo conveyances, and other items for illicit goods and threats such as fentanyl, sustains funding for Border Patrol agents, significantly boosts the number of detention beds for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and beefs up the Coast Guard’s presence and capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region.