H.R. 8029

Pay Our Homeland Defenders Act

Sponsor: Juan Ciscomani · 0 cosponsors

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Official summary

Written by the Congressional Research Service.

Pay Our Homeland Defenders Act

This bill provides appropriations to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the remainder of FY2026. It also ends the partial DHS shutdown that began on February 14, 2026, because the continuing resolution (CR) that was funding DHS expired and a regular FY2026 DHS appropriations bill had not been enacted. 

Specifically, the bill provides appropriations to DHS for Departmental Management, Intelligence, Situational Awareness, and Oversight, including

  • the Office of the Secretary and Executive Management;
  • the Management Directorate;
  • Intelligence, Analysis, and Situational Awareness; and
  • the Office of Inspector General.

In addition, the bill provides appropriations for Security, Enforcement, and Investigations, including

  • U.S. Customs and Border Protection,
  • U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,
  • the Transportation Security Administration,
  • the U.S. Coast Guard, and
  • the U.S. Secret Service.

The bill provides appropriations for Protection, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery, including

  • the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and
  • the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The bill provides appropriations for Research, Development, Training, and Services, including

  • U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services,
  • the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers, and
  • the Science and Technology Directorate.

The bill also authorizes back pay, in accordance with current law, for federal employees who were affected by the partial DHS shutdown.

Finally, the bill ratifies and approves certain obligations that were incurred during the partial DHS shutdown, including obligations incurred to maintain the essential level of activity to protect life and property and bring about an orderly termination of government functions.

Text of the bill

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A Department of Homeland Security Appropriations

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Sec. 503. Since introduced

(a) None of the funds provided by this Act, provided by previous appropriations Acts to the components in or transferred to the Department of Homeland Security that remain available for obligation or expenditure in fiscal year 2026, or provided from any accounts in the Treasury of the United States derived by the collection of fees available to the components funded by this Act, shall be available for obligation or expenditure through a reprogramming of funds that—

(1) creates or eliminates a program, project, or activity, or increases funds for any program, project, or activity for which funds have been denied or restricted by the Congress;

(2) contracts out any function or activity presently performed by Federal employees or any new function or activity proposed to be performed by Federal employees in the President's budget proposal for fiscal year 2026 for the Department of Homeland Security;

(3) augments funding for existing programs, projects, or activities in excess of $5,000,000 or 10 percent, whichever is less;

(4) reduces funding for any program, project, or activity, or numbers of personnel, by 10 percent or more; or

(5) results from any general savings from a reduction in personnel that would result in a change in funding levels for programs, projects, or activities as approved by the Congress.

(b) Subsection (a) shall not apply if the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate are notified at least 30 days in advance of such reprogramming.

(c) Up to 5 percent of any appropriation made available for the current fiscal year for the Department of Homeland Security by this Act or provided by previous appropriations Acts may be transferred between such appropriations if the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate are notified at least 30 days in advance of such transfer, but no such appropriation, except as otherwise specifically provided, shall be increased by more than 10 percent by such transfer.

(d) Notwithstanding subsections (a), (b), and (c), no funds shall be reprogrammed within or transferred between appropriations—

(1) based upon an initial notification provided after June 15, except in extraordinary circumstances that imminently threaten the safety of human life or the protection of property;

(2) to increase or decrease funding for grant programs; or

(3) to create a program, project, or activity pursuant to subsection (a)(1), including any new function or requirement within any program, project, or activity, not approved by Congress in the consideration of the enactment of this Act.

(e) The notification thresholds and procedures set forth in subsections (a), (b), (c), and (d) shall apply to any use of deobligated balances of funds provided in previous Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Acts that remain available for obligation in the current year.

(f) Notwithstanding subsection (c), the Secretary of Homeland Security may transfer to the fund established by 8 U.S.C. 1101 note, up to $20,000,000 from appropriations available to the Department of Homeland Security: Provided, That the Secretary shall notify the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate at least 5 days in advance of such transfer.

B Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026