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Department of Homeland Security Appropriations: FY2026 State of Play

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Department of Homeland Security Appropriations: FY2026 State of Play

February 28Updated June 24, 2026 (R48874)

Introduction

FY2026 marks the 23rd annual appropriations cycle with a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations measure. For the 1917th time in the history of DHS, resolution of annual appropriations for the department will occuroccurred more than a month after the beginning of the fiscal year. As of the date of publication, appropriations have lapsed for the department (beginning February 14, 2026), marking the fourth time in the department's history that its appropriations have lapsed for more than a weekFY2026 also contained the two longest lapses in annual appropriations for DHS.

This report is a quick reference for tracking the status of FY2026 DHS appropriations.

For more in-depth analyses of the FY2026 DHS appropriations request and the congressional responses, see:

Summary: FY2026 DHS Appropriations Status

As of the date of publication:
  • Annual appropriations for DHS have yet to be enactedwere enacted on April 30, 2026 (P.L. 119-86). A brief summary of the FY2026 process follows:
  • The House Appropriations Committee reported H.R. 4213, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026, on June 24, 2025, by a vote of 36-27.
  • The Senate Appropriations Committee has not markeddid not mark up a version of a Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026.

, although the committee majority released a draft bill and report on December 19, 2025.1 A lapse in appropriations began on October 1, 20262025, and was temporarily resolved by the enactment of P.L. 119-37 on November 12, 2025, which included a continuing resolution (CR) that covered much of the government, including DHS, through January 30, 2026.1

  • A compromise version of the DHS appropriations bill, 2 The House passed H.R. 7147, a compromise version of the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026, on January 22, 2026, by a vote of 220-207. The measure was included in a consolidated appropriations act (H.R. 7148, as engrossed in the House), but was stripped out by the Senate and replaced with a two-week CR extension. A brief second lapse in appropriations occurred until the consolidated measure was enacted on February 3, 2026 (P.L. 119-75).
  • A third lapse in appropriations occurred when the CR extension expired on February 14, 2026, and DHS annual appropriations lapsed again.
  • The Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026 (P.L. 119-86, Division A), was enacted on April 30, 2026, funding all of DHS except for the U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Funding for USBP and ICE through FY2029 was enacted on June 10, 2026 through a reconciliation measure (P.L. 119-98).
  • Some advance supplemental appropriations provided in prior-year legislation became available at the beginning of FY2026.

    The, was included in another consolidated appropriations measure (H.R. 7148), after passing the House on a separate 220-207 vote on January 22, 2026. The Senate amended H.R. 4718 to replace the regular DHS appropriations bill with a two-week CR extension for DHS, and passed the measure as amended by a 71-29 vote on January 30, 2026. Appropriations lapsed for two days until the House agreed to the Senate amendment by a vote of 217-214 on February 3, 2026, and President Trump signed it into law (P.L. 119-75) the same day.
  • The CR extension expired on February 14, 2026, and DHS annual appropriations lapsed again.

Some advance supplemental appropriations provided in prior-year legislation became available at the beginning of FY2026.

  • See "Advance Appropriations" for details on advance appropriations.

The FY2025 reconciliation package included multi-year funding for several elements of DHS.

  • See "Reconciliation Funding" for details on the additional funding.

Continuing Resolutions and Lapses in Annual Appropriations

When the Fiscal Year Is Ending with Annual Appropriations Unresolved ...

Every year, the federal government's fiscal year ends at midnight on September 30. As this deadline approaches, if any of the regular, full-year appropriations measures are not expected to be enacted by the end of the fiscal year, the Administration and Congress may take steps to prepare continuing appropriations legislation—known as a continuing resolution, or, more colloquially, "stopgap" funding—to extend funding for federal government operations until the unresolved appropriations measures are signed into law. CRs generally do not provide specific levels of budget authority to agencies. They usually provide budget authority necessary for agencies to continue operating for part of a fiscal year. The rate of operations provided by CRs is typically based on the amounts and authorities and conditions provided for in appropriations acts from the previous fiscal year, with certain deviations, exceptions, and restrictions.2 CRs typically provide funding through an expiration date specified in the measure or until full-year appropriations are enacted, whichever occurs first.

These steps first become visible to the public when the Administration provides Congress technical assistance on issues that would need to be addressed in the CR to avoid unintended consequences. These include proposed exceptions to the general funding provided by the CR for certain programs or activities, known as "anomalies." The technical assistance often includes extensions of authorizations that the Administration either proposes including, or would not object to including, in a CR in the event other legislation does not address expiring authorities in time. Congress weighs that information in formulating a CR, which is typically introduced in the House or Senate without being marked up and reported by the Appropriations Committees. A CR may be considered as a stand-alone measure or as part of a broader legislative package.

As was the case from mid-November 2025 to the end of January 2026, a CR may only cover certain federal government agencies in cases when some annual appropriation bills have already been enacted. DHS was the only agency covered by the CR extension from January 31, 2026, through February 13, 2026—the second time in its history that DHS was the sole department operating under a CR.3

... Appropriations May Lapse

A lapse in annual appropriations—known as a "funding gap"—occurs if the regular appropriations bills or a CR are not enacted prior to the end of a fiscal year, or an enacted CR is allowed to expire without enactment of either further continuing appropriations or the covered annual appropriations acts. Under the terms of the Antideficiency Act, a funding gap may result in a partial shutdown of operations for those agencies without enacted annual appropriations. Immediately prior to the end of the fiscal year, agencies release shutdown plans that indicate, in broad terms, how the partial shutdown of operations would be implemented.

Two general types of agency activities are allowed to continue:

  • 1. Those that still have funding available (exempt functions), such as activities funded by multi-year appropriations or those that are funded through laws other than the appropriations acts (known as mandatory or direct spending); and
  • 2. Those which have exceptions in law (excepted functions), such as those specifically related to the protection of life and property, and those necessary to the discharge of constitutional duties and powers. However, even for agencies like DHS that conduct many of these excepted activities, lapses in annual appropriations can be highly disruptive.4

Occasionally, funding gaps have occurred for a matter of hours, or over a weekend, meaning that a shutdown of certain activities may not have fully commenced.5 More extended lapses of annual appropriations have also occurred, both in FY2026 and before. For example, funding gaps occurring in FY2014 and FY2019 resulted in partial shutdowns of DHS operations for 16 and 34 days, respectively.6

FY2026 DHS Funding Gaps

Lapse Contingency Plan

The Office of Management and Budget requires agencies to submit contingency plans for lapses in annual appropriations. DHS's most recent contingency plan, published on September 29, 2025, included information on what activities would continue and which would cease in the event of such a funding gap.

Figure 1 and the ensuing text box present department-level information from the September 2025 plan.

Figure 1. Planned DHS Furlough and Exception/Exemptions, September, 2025

Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, "Procedures Related to a Lapse in Appropriations," September 29, 2025.

Notes: Exception totals do not include additional personnel who may qualify as excepted in the event of an emergency.

The September 2025 plan included a summary of activities that would either continue or be suspended, as shown in the text box below.

Summary of Activity Impacts (as presented in the September 2025 Plan)7

Brief summary of significant agency activities that will continue during a lapse:

  • Activities necessary by law, the Constitution, or necessary for Safety of Human Life or Protection of Property
  • Maintaining law enforcement operations, including drug interdiction and irregular migration management
  • Continuing passenger processing and cargo inspection functions at ports of entry
  • Providing the protective functions of the U.S. Secret Service
  • Maintaining counterterrorism watches or intelligence gathering or dissemination in support of terrorist threat warnings
  • Retaining minimal personnel to maintain telecommunications necessary for excepted activities
  • Disaster Relief Fund activities will continue operations
  • Fee-funded activities such as those funded by the Immigration Examinations Fee Account

Brief summary of significant agency activities that will cease during a lapse:

  • Planning (such as strategic, business, or budgetary activities)
  • Research and development activities
  • Most policy functions, administrative, as well as programmatic, unless those functions are justified by an exception
  • Auditing
  • Most regulatory, legislative, public affairs, and intergovernmental affairs unless those functions are justified by an exception
  • Training and development not deemed an excepted activity

According to the September 2025 plan, DHS had almost 29,000 more personnel at the end of May 2025 than it had averaged historically.8 The September 2025 plan envisioned DHS furloughing 8,711 fewer personnel than it had on average: this represented a reduction in the percentage furloughed from the historical average, from 13% to 8.4%.

Based on the September 2025 plan, DHS's eight operational components9 combined include 97% of DHS personnel, 7% of which were planned to be furloughed in the event of a funding gap. Exact numbers of actual furloughed employees for each of the recent shutdowns are not available, but some analysis is available in the sections below.

Several factors limit the utility of detailed analysis of the numbers provided in the September 2025 plan. Significant changes in the DHS workforce have occurred since the end of May 2025 as a result of the passage of time, the Administration's shifts in priorities within the parameters of traditional DHS funding streams, and the surge of funding provided in the FY2025 reconciliation package (P.L. 119-21) included multi-year funding for several elements of DHS. The FY2026 reconciliation law (P.L. 119-98) provided funding for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (including USBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as other purposes (P.L. 119-98).

  • See "Reconciliation Funding" for details on the additional funding from FY2025.
  • See "Further Reconciliation Funding" for details on the additional funding provided in the FY2026 reconciliation law.
DHS Appropriations Timing Figure 1P.L. 119-21, commonly referred to as the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act"). The Administration's contingency plan does not speak to the availability of P.L. 119-21 funding to allow certain otherwise non-exempt, non-excepted functions to continue.

FY2026 October Funding Gap

The first funding gap for DHS in FY2026 occurred October 1, 2025, and lasted 42 days.

During the lapse, reports indicated that the Trump Administration used funds provided in the FY2025 reconciliation package to pay the salaries of 70,000 law enforcement personnel at a number of DHS agencies, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Secret Service, and federal air marshals from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).10 TSA screeners, however, remained unpaid for the course of the funding gap. Military personnel of the U.S. Coast Guard were also paid from resources provided in the reconciliation package.11

FY2026 February Funding Gaps

A second short funding gap occurred between January 31, 2026, and February 2, 2026, at which time Congress passed and the President signed into law a two-week CR extension. That extension expired on February 14, 2026, and a third funding gap began.

Unlike the first FY2026 funding gap, DHS made a number of statements about changes to operations they attributed to the lapse in appropriations. In a press release posted by DHS on February 17, 2026, the department highlighted a number of potential consequences of the ongoing shutdown:

  • Delays in grant awards and potential delays in drawdowns of awarded grants;
  • Delayed payments to vendors and contractors;
  • Reduced cybersecurity and critical infrastructure support;
  • Partial stoppage of basic and advanced training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers;
  • Potential delays in deployment of new security screening technology to airports and increased checkpoint wait times; and
  • Delayed preventive maintenance on capital equipment, including vehicles.12

While these effects are similar to those seen in previous lapses, it appears DHS may have curtailed its activities further during the ongoing funding gap than it had during the October FY2026 gap or other previous gaps. The DHS Office of Public Affairs announced on February 22 that it would curtail a number of its activities in a number of ways in response to the lapse in appropriations:

  • DHS announced FEMA would limit its activities to "immediate disaster response where there is an active threat to life, public health, or safety," until the lapse in appropriations is resolved.13
  • DHS announced that "nonessential privileges and courtesies provided by TSA would cease," including TSA PreCheck and courtesy escorts "including for Members of Congress."14 Several hours later, TSA announced that TSA Precheck would remain operational, and DHS amended its public statement.15
  • DHS announced that "all Global Entry arrival processing" would cease, as well as "port courtesies for Members of Congress at all ports of entry."16
  • Reduction in DRF-funded activity with significant unobligated balances available is a departure from past practice: the unobligated resources in the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) do not expire at the end of end of the fiscal year, and in previous appropriations lapses disaster response and recovery activities have continued. FEMA's monthly DRF reports have indicated that a significant amount of funding remains available in the DRF for the costs of major disasters: $9.3 billion was available as of the end of January 2026.17 Comparison of the monthly reports indicates that due to deobligation of prior-year funding, the unobligated balance in the major disasters portion of the DRF was higher at the end of January 2026 than it was at the beginning of the initial FY2026 funding lapse, when no changes to DRF-funded activities were announced. Press accounts have indicated that FEMA has constrained its activities beyond historical precedents as well.18

DHS Appropriations Timing

Figure 2 shows a history of the timing of the annual Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, since its first development in 2003 (for FY2004). Tracked actions include

  • the release of the budget request (green dot);
  • full committee markups and passage of the House and Senate versions of the bill (orange and purple bars, respectively); and
  • enactment of the measure (black bar).
  • Dotted lines show the months covered by CRs. Beige segments indicate lapses in annual appropriations.

In six of the first seven years of its existence, the annual appropriations measure for DHS was enacted within a month of the beginning of the fiscal year it covered. Since FY2010, no annual DHS appropriations measure has been enacted before two months of the fiscal year it covered had passed, and in thirteen of those sixteen years, three months had passed before DHS annual appropriations were enacted.

The lapse in DHS appropriations that began in February was the longest such lapse in the history of the department. The partial funding of the department through the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026, as well as the provision of operating funds for CBP and ICE in a reconciliation measure that did not go through the appropriations committee were both unprecedented actions.

Figure 1

Figure 2. DHS Appropriations Process Timing, FY2004-FY2026

(As of February 28April 30, 2026)

Source: CRS analysis of Administration budget request release dates and legislative action from Congress.gov.

Notes: * The FY2026 DHS appropriations act resolved the lapse in appropriations for most of DHS, with the exception of the U.S. Border Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Final action on annual appropriations for FY2011, FY2013-FY2015, FY2017-FY2019, FY2022, FY2024, and FY2025and FY2024-FY2026 occurred after the beginning of the new calendar year, as will be the case in FY2026. The FY2019 lapse began in December 2018. Two short lapses in January of FY2018 and a two-day lapse from January 31 to February 2, 2026, are not displayed due to limitations of scale.

The FY2026 DHS Appropriations Process

President's Budget Request

On May 2, 2025, President Donald Trump's Administration released its budget request for FY2026, including $107.4 billion in budget authority for DHS, $63.6 billion of which was discretionary appropriations, and $43.8 billion of which was from the mandatory resources to be provided in the FY2025 reconciliation act. According to DHS budget documents, the request included $63.65 billion in base discretionary appropriations, and $26.47 billion in disaster relief-designated funds.193

The FY2026 discretionary appropriations request was $1.56 billion less than the Administration's estimate of a full-year continuing resolution. In addition to this total, the Administration included a placeholder for $43.75 billion in spending from reconciliation funds. However, the budget request was released while Congress was still debating the reconciliation package, which would ultimately be enacted as P.L. 119-21.

For more information on the Administration's request, and its relationship to the reconciliation package please see CRS Report R48704, Understanding the FY2026 DHS Budget Request, by William L. Painter.

The following two subsections address funding that was available to DHS for FY2026 prior to action on the annual DHS appropriations measure: advance appropriations through P.L. 117-58, and (as noted above) P.L. 119-21.

Advance Appropriations: Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

On November 15, 2021, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) was signed into law as P.L. 117-58. Division J of the IIJA included a number of supplemental appropriations, including a total of $7.96 billion for DHS in Title V. Four appropriations received $6.1 billion of that total, with $1.22 billion available in FY2022, and $4.88 billion to be made available incrementally from FY2022 through FY2026, through what are known as advance appropriations.204 $1.02 billion of those advance appropriations became available in FY2026.

Table 1 lists DHS accounts with advance appropriations provided by P.L. 117-58, and includes a breakdown of amounts coming available each fiscal year, with FY2026 highlighted.

Table 1. Accounts with Supplemental and Advance Appropriations for DHS in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58)

(emergency-designated budget authority, in thousands of dollars)

Component / Appropriation / PPA

Total Provided

FY2022

FY2023

FY2024

FY2025

FY2026

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)

Cybersecurity Response and Recovery Fund

100,000

20,000

20,000

20,000

20,000

20,000

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Federal Assistance

Section 205 Grants (for establishing hazard mitigation revolving loan funds)

500,000

100,000

100,000

100,000

100,000

100,000

Grants For Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure

1,000,000

200,000

400,000

300,000

100,000

0

Disaster Relief Fund (for Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grants)

1,000,000

200,000

200,000

200,000

200,000

200,000

National Flood Insurance Fund

3,500,000

700,000

700,000

700,000

700,000

700,000

TOTAL ADVANCE APPROPRIATIONS

6,100,000

1,220,000

1,420,000

1,320,000

1,120,000

1,020,000

Source: P.L. 117-58, Division J, Title V.

Notes: PPA = program, project, or activity. Division J, Title V also included $1.86 billion in accounts and PPAs that did not receive advance appropriations, and thus are not shown in Table 1.

FY2025 Reconciliation Package

The President signed the FY2025 reconciliation package into law (P.L. 119-21 ) on July 4, 2025. The law included $191.02 billion in mandatory budget authority for DHS—the largest single package of DHS appropriations ever enacted. This included $168.96 billion for six DHS components and $22.06 billion directed to DHS activities through the Secretary. In total, this was almost double the gross level of budget authority provided to all of DHS in the FY2024 annual appropriations process.

Component-specific funding was provided for:

  • U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)$64.73 billion, including:
  • $46.55 billion for border infrastructure and wall system;21
  • 5
  • $6.17 billion for a range of border security, technology, and screening operational and procurement costs;22
  • 6
  • $4.1 billion for hiring additional agents, officers, and support personnel;23
  • 7
  • $2.05 billion for recruitment bonuses, performance awards, and retention bonuses;24
  • 8
  • $0.86 billion for vehicles;259 and
  • $5 billion for CBP facilities.26
  • 10U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)$74.85 billion, including:
  • $45 billion for detention capacity;2711 and
  • $29.85 billion for a range of operational and procurement costs.28

12U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)$24.5959 billion for procurement and certain maintenance costs.29

13

U.S. Secret Service (USSS)$1.17 billion for "additional United States Secret Service resources," including a newly authorized set of performance, retention and signing bonuses.30

  • 14 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)$12.88 billion, including:
  • $0.5 billion for State and local capabilities to detect, identify, track, or monitor threats from unmanned aircraft systems;
  • $0.63 billion for security and other costs related to the 2026 FIFA World Cup;
  • $1.0 billion for security, planning, and other costs related to the 2028 Olympics;
  • $0.45 billion for the Operation Stonegarden Grant Program;31 and
  • 15
  • $0.30 billion to reimburse law enforcement costs for support requested by the U.S. Secret Service in protecting presidential residences.32
  • ;16 and
  • $10 billion for a "State Border Security Reinforcement Fund," which provides grants to states for border barrier construction and related activities, certain counter-smuggling activities, and relocation of undocumented aliens.17
  • Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC)$0.75 billion, including
  • $0.29 billion for supporting training activities; and
  • $0.47 billion for facilities.33

18The bill also provided $2212.06 billion to the Office of the Secretary for a variety of purposes, including:

  • the largest of which was $10 billion "for reimbursement of costs incurred in undertaking activities in support of the [DHS] mission to safeguard the borders of the United States";34
  • $10 billion for a "State Border Security Reinforcement Fund," which provides grants to states for border barrier construction and related activities, certain counter-smuggling activities, and relocation of undocumented aliens;35
  • ."19 The other $2.06 billion for
  • was provided forHiring and training of U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents and support staff (in addition to what was included for these purposes elsewhere in the measure) "to carry out immigration enforcement activities";
  • Transportation and related costs associated with the departure or removal of aliens;
  • Assignment of DHS employees and State officers to carry out immigration enforcement activities;
  • Hiring additional staff for screening and vetting of aliens;
  • Certain activities related to alien children, including criminal and gang checks and removal;
  • Transporting and return of aliens from contiguous territory;
  • State and local participation in certain homeland security efforts;
  • Certain types of removal of criminal aliens; and
  • Information technology investments to support immigration-related activities.36

20The Administration's public discussion of the plans for specific spending of the resources provided in P.L. 119-21 has been limited. Before the bill was enacted, the Administration projected that $43.75 billion would be spent from the reconciliation package funding in FY2026, broken down by general issue areas, rather than by component and appropriation (see Table 2).3721

Table 2. FY2026 Projected Obligations from Projected DHS FY2026 P.L. 119-21 Obligations, per FY2026 Budget AppendixP.L. 119-21

Program Activity

Projected FY2026 Obligations

Immigration Enforcement

$18.542 billion

Border Security

$2.333 billion

Border Wall Construction

$11.500 billion

State and Local Support

$3.681 billion

Coast Guard Acquisition

$7.444 billion

U.S. Secret Service Operations

$0.250 billion

Source: FY2026 Budget AppendixTotal DHS Obligations

$43.75 billion

Source: Reproduced by CRS based on Office of Management and Budget, Budget of the U.S. Government: Appendix, Fiscal Year 2026, p. 457, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/appendix_fy2026.pdf.

Notes: Projections in the Budget Appendix were not based on the enacted amounts in P.L. 119-21. Table 3 shows newer, more detailed projections of FY2026 obligations that were part of the FY2027 President's budget request by component and appropriation. Even without projections for U.S. Secret Service obligations, the estimated level of total obligations for DHS components rose to $109.75 billion. Table 3. Projected DHS FY2026 P.L. 119-21 Obligations, per FY2027 Budget Appendix

Component

Account

FY2026 Estimated Obligations

Office of the Secretary and Executive Management (OSEM)

Operations and Support (O&S)

$1.165 billion

Procurement, Construction, and Improvements (PC&I)

$0.028 billion

Border Support

$0

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

O&S

$1.428 billion

PC&I

$46.669 billion

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

O&S

$35.330 billion

PC&I

$0.564 billion

U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)

O&S

$0.940 billion

PC&I

$15.391 billion

U.S. Secret Service (USSS)

O&S

*

PC&I

*

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Federal Assistance

$1.690 billion

State Border Security Reinforcement Fund

$6.000 billion

Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC)

O&S

$0.177 billion

PC&I

$0.366 billion

Total Projected DHS Obligations

$109.748 billion

Source: CRS analysis of Office of Management and Budget, Budget of the U.S. Government: Appendix, Fiscal Year 2027, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/appendix_fy2027.pdf.

Notes: * USSS entries in the Appendix did not provide explicit projections of component obligations funded by P.L. 119-21.

.

Beyond this estimate, no spending plan has been made public for resources from P.L. 119-21. While some of the purposes in the measure are broad, no provisions in P.L. 119-21 allow funds to be transferred or reprogrammed for purposes other than those outlined in the statutory language of the act.

House Action

On June 24, 2025, the House Committee on Appropriations (HAC) marked up H.R. 4213, its version of the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026. H.H. Rept. 119-173 was filed on June 26, 2025, providing additional direction to DHS, and including minority party views. HAC-reported H.R. 4213 included $72.61 billion in discretionary budget authority, and $26.47 billion designated as being for the costs of major disasters. This was roughly $1.47 billion above the level requested by the Administration (leaving aside the reconciliation funding and disaster relief funding) and $1.13 billion above the FY2025 enacted amount.

Senate Committee Action

The Senate Committee on Appropriations (SAC) did not mark up a version of the FY2026 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act.

On December 19, 2025, the SAC released a committee draft of the FY2026 bill, along with a draft report.3822 The committee draft included $72.46 billion in discretionary budget authority, and $26.37 billion designated as being for the costs of major disasters.

Continuing Resolutions and Lapses in Appropriations for DHS

Congress did not pass an FY2026 DHS annual appropriations measure before the beginning of the fiscal year, a continuing resolution was not enacted, and annual appropriations lapsed on October 1, 2025. This lapse was resolved by an interim CR (P.L. 119-37) enacted November 12, 2025, lasting through January 30, 2026.3923

On January 22, 2026, the House Rules Committee reported H.Res. 1014. This special rule, adopted by the House, provided for the consideration of a separate consolidated appropriations measure (H.R. 7148; Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026H.R. 7148), as well as H.R. 7147, an FY2026 DHS annual appropriations measure that had been worked out by House and Senate negotiators. The DHS appropriations measure passed the House by a vote of 220-207. Pursuant to H.H. Res. 1014, , H.R. 7147 was added to H.R. 7148 as Division H of the measure before it was sent to the Senate for consideration.

On January 30, 2026, the Senate passed an amended version of H.R. 7148, replacing the full-year DHS appropriations in Division H with an interim CR extending through February 13, 2026. After a brief lapse in appropriations from January 31 through February 2, 2026, the House agreed to the Senate amendment to H.R. 7148 by a vote of 217-214 on February 3, 2026, and the President signed the measure into law as P.L. 119-75 on the same day.

In the absence of an extension of the CR or enactment of annual appropriations, DHS appropriations lapsed again on February 14, 2026, and the Department is partially shut down as a result of the lapse in funding as of the date of publication.


Footnotes

"to hire, pay, train, and equip Border Patrol agents and Border Patrol support personnel to conduct functions other than immigration enforcement and customs functions"a

"(1) Procurement and integration of new nonintrusive inspection equipment and associated civil works ... as well as other mission support, to combat the entry or exit of illicit narcotics at ports of entry and along the southwest, northern, and maritime borders.

(2) Air and Marine operations' upgrading and procurement of new platforms for rapid air and marine response capabilities.

(3) Upgrades and procurement of border surveillance technologies along the southwest, northern, and maritime borders.b

(4) Necessary expenses, including the deployment of technology, relating to the biometric entry and exit system under section 7208 of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (8 U.S.C. 1365b).

(5) Enhancing border security by combating drug trafficking, including fentanyl and its precursor chemicals, at the southwest, northern, and maritime borders.

(6) Necessary expenses for [CBP's] mission support and operations and maintenance for functions other than those related to its immigration enforcement and customs missions."

"to hire, pay, train, and equip Homeland Security Investigations agents and support personnel and to provide other necessary expenses for Homeland Security Investigations' mission support and operations and maintenance."

$31.075 billion

Of which, not less than $350 million is for ICE detainer management, detainer issuance, custodial transfer, release monitoring, transportation, and arrests of "covered unlawful aliens" in "sanctuary" jurisdictions.c

Restricts the use of the funds provided to release or facilitate the release of a "covered unlawful alien," except as required by existing law.

"Covered unlawful alien" means an adult alien who—

is a criminal alien under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA; 8 U.S.C. 1226(c)(1)), or inadmissibled or deportable under certain parts of the INA; or
  • following an "arrest, charge, booking, or conviction for a criminal offense under Federal, State, or local law, other than a minor traffic offense, is the subject of an immigration detainer, notice request, or custody-transfer request" issued by DHS; or
  • has been charged with or convicted of illegal entry or reentry.
  • Source: CRS analysis of the text of S. 2.

    Notes:

    a. Subsection (b) restricted the use of the funds for personnel performing the duties of processing coordinators after the end of FY2028. b. Subsection (b) restricted the use of the funds provided to procure or deploy surveillance towers that do not have the ability to apply algorithms to "make operational adjustments without active engagement of personnel or continuous human command and control." c. For more information, see CRS In Focus IF11438, "Sanctuary" Jurisdictions: Policy Overview, coordinated by Abigail F. Kolker. d. For more information on inadmissibility, see CRS In Focus IF12662, Immigration: Grounds of Inadmissibility, by Abigail F. Kolker and Hillel R. Smith.

    Footnotes

    Due to the lack of distinction between components in the budget appendix and between appropriations in the reconciliation package, it is not possible to present a detailed analysis of how the funding affects specific appropriations accounts. 22.
    1.

    For details on the initial CR for FY2026, see CRS Report R48765, Overview of Continuing Appropriations for FY2026 (Division A of P.L. 119-37), coordinated by Drew C. Aherne.

    2.

    The terms and conditions of those appropriations continue to apply under the CR. For more detailed information on continuing resolutions and how they work, see CRS Report R46595, Continuing Resolutions: Overview of Components and Practices, coordinated by James V. Saturno.

    3.

    In FY2015, when disputes over immigration policy led to the DHS appropriations bill being pulled from a consolidated appropriations measure, for almost three months DHS was the only federal department covered by a CR (P.L. 113-235, Division L)

    4.

    For further information on the impact of past shutdowns, see CRS Report R41759, Past Government Shutdowns: Key Resources, by Justin Murray and Carol Wilson.

    5.

    In FY2018, two brief lapses of annual appropriations occurred with expirations of the CR: on January 20, 2018, appropriations lapsed until January 22; and on February 8, 2018, appropriations lapsed for several hours until an extension of the CR was enacted.

    6.

    For more information on the impacts of past shutdowns, see CRS Report R41759, Past Government Shutdowns: Key Resources, by Jared C. Nagel and Justin Murray.

    7.

    U.S. Department of Homeland Security, "Procedures Related to a Lapse in Appropriations," September 29, 2025, p. 4, https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2025-09/2025_0930_dhs_procedures_related_to_a_lapse_in_appropriations.pdf.

    8.

    Based on CRS analysis of DHS lapse plans going back to FY2011, DHS averaged 243,061 employees.

    9.

    U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), U.S. Secret Service (USSS), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

    10.

    Heckman, Jory, "DHS Keeps Paying 70,000 Law Enforcement Officials amid Shutdown Using Reconciliation Funds," FederalNewsNetwork.com, October 17, 2025, https://federalnewsnetwork.com/government-shutdown/2025/10/dhs-to-keep-paying-70000-law-enforcement-officials-amid-shutdown-using-reconciliation-law/

    11.

    Department of Homeland Security, "Secretary Noem Announces U.S. Coast Guard to Receive Paychecks Despite Government Shutdown Thanks to One Big Beautiful Bill Funding," press release, October 14, 2025, https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/10/14/secretary-noem-announces-us-coast-guard-receive-paychecks-despite-government.

    12.

    U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Public Affairs, "Another Democrat Government Shutdown Dramatically Hurts America's National Security," February 17, 2026, https://www.dhs.gov/news/2026/02/17/another-democrat-government-shutdown-dramatically-hurts-americas-national-security.

    13.

    Press Release, "1 Week into Democrats' Shutdown, DHS Implements Emergency Measures to Conserve Resources and Manpower Impacting Travelers and FEMA Responses to Non-Disaster Areas," U.S. Department of Homeland Security, February 22, 2026, https://www.dhs.gov/news/2026/02/22/1-week-democrats-shutdown-dhs-implements-emergency-measures-conserve-resources-and.

    14.

    DHS Press Release, February 22, 2026.

    15.

    CRS analysis of February 22, 2026 email from DHS Office of Public Affairs, and subsequent reading of a modified statement on dhs.gov (https://www.dhs.gov/news/2026/02/22/1-week-democrats-shutdown-dhs-implements-emergency-measures-conserve-resources-and). See also https://www.businesstraveller.com/news/global-entry-goes-dark-tsa-precheck-survives/.

    16.

    DHS Press Release, February 22, 2026.

    17.

    FEMA, Disaster Relief Fund: Monthly Report as of January 31,2026, February 20, 2026, p. 4.

    18.

    See, for example, Brianna Sacks, "FEMA National Security Functions 'Significantly Constrained' During Shutdown, Email Warns," The Washington Post, February 23, 2026, https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2026/02/23/fema-continuity-shutdown-national-security/.

    19.

    CBO's estimates for the discretionary impact of potential legislation may change. This analysis uses CBO's estimates as reflected in H.Rept. 118-553.

    20.

    For more information on advance appropriations, see CRS Report R43482, Advance Appropriations, Forward Funding, and Advance Funding: Concepts, Practice, and Budget Process Considerations, by Jessica Tollestrup and Megan S. Lynch.

    21.

    P.L. 119-21, Sec. 90001

    22.

    P.L. 119-21, Sec. 90004(a).

    23.

    P.L. 119-21, Sec. 90002(a)(1).

    24.

    P.L. 119-21, Sec. 90002(a)(2).

    25.

    P.L. 119-21, Sec. 90002(a)(3).

    26.

    P.L. 119-21, Sec. 90002(a)(4).

    27.

    P.L. 119-21, Sec. 90003.

    28.

    P.L. 119-21, Sec. 100052. Eleven subsections list potential uses of these funds, without specified funding levels.

    29.

    P.L. 119-21, Sec. 40001. Thirteen subsections list specific uses of these funds, with specified funding levels.

    30.

    P.L. 119-21, Sec. 100057.

    31.

    P.L. 119-21, Sec. 90005.

    32.

    P.L. 119-21, Sec. 90006.

    33.

    P.L. 119-21, Sec. 100053.

    34.

    P.L. 119-21, Sec. 90007.

    35.

    P.L. 119-21, Sec. 90005(b).

    36.

    P.L. 119-21, Sec. 100051. Twelve subsections list potential uses of these funds, without specified funding levels.

    37.

    Due to the lack of distinction between components in the budget appendix and between appropriations in the reconciliation package, it is not possible to present a detailed analysis of how the funding affects specific appropriations accounts.

    38. The House later passed two FY2026 DHS appropriations measures: H.R. 7744 on March 5, 2026, by a vote of 221-209; and H.R. 8029 on March 26, 2026, by a vote of 218-206. These bills were functionally identical to H.R. 7147, with the exception of removing a provision unrelated to DHS, and adding provisions required to resolve certain shutdown-related administrative matters.24 The Senate passed an amended version of H.R. 7147 by voice vote on March 27, 2026, which did not include funding for the U.S. Border Patrol or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, nor directive and oversight provisions related to those entities. The Senate majority indicated they would fund those components through an FY2026 reconciliation package. The House majority did not take up the Senate measure until after the Senate and House had passed the FY2026 budget resolution that was required to begin the reconciliation process. The House took up and passed by a voice vote the Senate-amended bill under suspension of the rules on April 30, 2026. The President signed it into law the same day (P.L. 119-86; Homeland Security and Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026). Further Reconciliation Funding

    On June 5, 2026, the Senate passed S. 2, a reconciliation measure pursuant to the FY2026 budget resolution (S.Con.Res. 33) by a vote of 52-47.25 The bill included legislation from the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the Senate Committee on the Judiciary providing almost $70 billion in funding for CBP and ICE, as well as DHS overall. The funds provided are available for obligation through FY2029. The House passed the bill by a vote of 214-21226 on June 9, 2026, and it was signed into law the next day as P.L. 119-98.

    Table 4 provides a breakdown of the resources and purposes provided. Table 4. Summary of FY2026 Reconciliation Legislation (P.L. 119-98)

    Section

    Amount

    Purpose

    CBP Sections

    $26.02 billion

    101

    $9.55 billion

    201

    $13.02 billion

    "for hiring, paying, training, and equipping [CBP], and the necessary support staff, and to provide other necessary expenses for [CBP] mission support and operations and maintenance, in order to carry out immigration enforcement activities."

    103

    $3.45 billion

    ICE Sections

    $38.525 billion

    102

    $7.45 billion

    Of which, $108.5 million is set aside for additional child exploitation investigators and forensics analysts within Homeland Security Investigations, to support the identification and rescue of victims of child sexual exploitation and abuse, and to train state and local law enforcement.

    202

    (1) ... Hiring, paying, training, and equipping [ICE] personnel and the personnel for all its directorates ... to carry out immigration enforcement activities.

    (2) ... transportation costs and related costs associated with alien departure or removal operations.

    (3) ... information technology maintenance and sustainment to support enforcement and removal operations....

    (4) ... facility maintenance and sustainment to support enforcement and removal operations.

    (5) ... fleet maintenance and sustainment to support enforcement and removal operations.

    (6) ... Supporting coordination with state and local authorities by expanding, facilitating, and implementing agreements under section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1357(g)).

    (7) ... Hiring and paying attorneys and the necessary support staff within the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor to represent the Department in immigration enforcement and removal proceedings.

    (8) ... Necessary expenses [ICE's] mission support, including awards, and operations and maintenance for its immigration enforcement functions.

    (9) Operations by [ICE] to arrest released covered unlawful aliens.

    DHS Sections

    $5 billion

    104

    $2.5 billion

    For the purposes outlined in Sections 101, 102, and 103.

    203

    $2.5 billion

    For the purposes outlined in Sections 201 and 201, or for DHS and State officers to carry out immigration enforcement, or for reimbursing state and local government for participation in certain homeland security efforts.

    TOTAL

    $69.545 billion

    1.

    See https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/majority/bill-text-homeland-security-act-2026.

    2.

    For details on the initial CR for FY2026, see CRS Report R48765, Overview of Continuing Appropriations for FY2026 (Division A of P.L. 119-37), coordinated by Drew C. Aherne.

    3.

    CBO's estimates for the discretionary impact of potential legislation may change. This analysis uses CBO's estimates as reflected in H.Rept. 118-553.

    4.

    For more information on advance appropriations, see CRS Report R43482, Advance Appropriations, Forward Funding, and Advance Funding: Concepts, Practice, and Budget Process Considerations, by Jessica Tollestrup and Megan S. Lynch.

    5.

    P.L. 119-21, Section 90001

    6.

    P.L. 119-21, Section 90004(a).

    7.

    P.L. 119-21, Section 90002(a)(1).

    8.

    P.L. 119-21, Section 90002(a)(2).

    9.

    P.L. 119-21, Section 90002(a)(3).

    10.

    P.L. 119-21, Section 90002(a)(4).

    11.

    P.L. 119-21, Section 90003.

    12.

    P.L. 119-21, Section 100052. Eleven subsections list potential uses of these funds, without specified funding levels.

    13.

    P.L. 119-21, Section 40001. Thirteen subsections list specific uses of these funds, with specified funding levels.

    14.

    P.L. 119-21, Section 100057.

    15.

    P.L. 119-21, Section 90005.

    16.

    P.L. 119-21, Section 90006.

    17.

    P.L. 119-21, Section 90005(b).

    18.

    P.L. 119-21, Section 100053.

    19.

    P.L. 119-21, Section 90007.

    20.

    P.L. 119-21, Section 100051. Twelve subsections list potential uses of these funds, without specified funding levels.

    21.

    Links to the draft bill and report were made available at https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/majority/bill-text-homeland-security-act-2026.

    3923.

    For details on this continuing resolution including specific DHS-related provisions, see CRS Report R48765, Overview of Continuing Appropriations for FY2026 (Division A of P.L. 119-37), coordinated by Drew C. Aherne.

    24.

    These three sections in Division B would ratify and approve obligations made for legally authorized activities during the appropriations lapse if they were in accord with the expired FY2026 continuing resolution.

    25.

    Record Vote Number 163, https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1192/vote_119_2_00163.htm.

    26.

    House Roll Call Vote 214, https://www.congress.gov/votes/house/119-2/214.