In committee
Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026
This legislation finances the Department of Homeland Security for fiscal year 2026, funding disaster recovery, the Coast Guard, airport screening, and border operations while ensuring federal personnel receive back pay after a temporary shutdown. For everyday travelers, it blocks any new fees on pedestrians and drivers crossing the northern or southern borders, protects individuals importing up to a 90-day personal supply of Canadian prescription drugs, and requires politicians and top executive officials to clear regular airport security. The bill also sends hundreds of millions of dollars to local firefighters, flood-mapping efforts, and emergency centers, while strengthening civil rights rules by banning the restraint of pregnant detainees and opening immigration facilities to unannounced congressional oversight visits.
People affected—Not determinable from the text provided; the bill directly governs tens of thousands of DHS personnel, federal employees affected by the funding lapse, air traffic controllers, detainees, and emergency assistance recipients nationwide, but does not enumerate total population numbers.
Fiscal magnitude—The total fiscal amount is not determinable from the text provided because the primary Department-wide appropriations totals are incorporated by reference via the House Appropriations Committee explanatory statement (Sec. 4), although individual sections enumerate specific appropriations (e.g., over $3.2 billion for FEMA assistance, $140 million for FAA controllers, $98 million for Coast Guard MQ-9s) and rescissions exceeding $200 million.
Reach70provisional · pending reviewrigor: heuristic llm
What this bill touches.
Spending vs. restraint+20Firearms−20Pharmaceutical pricing+15Security vs. privacy+22Ethics & oversight+55Enforcement & securityTrade & tariffs−25
Who it helps · who it burdens.
Who it helps
- federal employees affected by the funding lapseGuarantees retroactive payment of wages, allowances, and benefits to federal workers affected by the federal funding lapse that began on February 13, 2026 (Division B, Sec. 1002).
- air traffic controllers and managersAppropriates $140,000,000 to fund a 3.8 percent pay raise in calendar year 2026 for FAA air traffic controllers, supervisors, and managers, contingent upon achieving operational and scheduling efficiencies (Sec. 549).
- pregnant and postpartum individuals in DHS custodyProhibits the use of restraints during active labor and delivery, outlaws face-down and four-point restraints, strictly limits restraint use overall, and mandates health and safety standards while in DHS and CBP custody (Sec. 211, Sec. 527).
- individuals importing prescription drugs from CanadaProhibits Customs and Border Protection from blocking individuals from importing up to a 90-day personal-use supply of legal, non-controlled prescription drugs from Canada (Sec. 205).
- local fire departments and firefightersProvides $684,000,000 in dedicated grant funding and authorizes FEMA to waive statutory matching-fund, retention, and local cost-sharing requirements for firefighter hiring and assistance grants (FEMA Federal Assistance Sec. 6, Sec. 307, Sec. 309).
- Secret Service personnel on protective assignmentsRaises the statutory overtime pay cap for protective assignments and expands the overall funding cap available for overtime pay (Sec. 237).
- U.S.-flag maritime shipping operatorsProtects commercial cargo carriers and vessel operators by restricting navigation waivers for transporting Strategic Petroleum Reserve crude oil until steps are taken to utilize American-flagged vessels (Sec. 206).
- land border crossersProtects pedestrians, bicyclists, and private motorists crossing the northern and southern borders from new border crossing fees or fee studies (Sec. 207).
- accused detainees in DHS custodyGuarantees detainees facing criminal charges, segregation, or punishment access to DHS records regarding the underlying allegations, and prohibits the destruction of records relating to detainee abuse or deaths (Sec. 528).
Who it burdens
- Members of Congress and senior executive branch officialsMandates that Members of Congress, federal agency heads, and senior executive branch officials undergo standard TSA airport security screening without exemptions (Sec. 220).
- FEMA grant recipientsCaps the proportion of federal emergency preparedness grant awards that recipient agencies may spend on administrative expenses at 5 percent (Sec. 302).
Who backs it
- commercial nuclear power plant operatorsAssessed mandatory user fees covering 100 percent of the anticipated operating costs of DHS's Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program (Sec. 308).
- yacht and recreational vessel ownersCoast Guard operational expenses for recreational vessel documentation are restricted to and funded by fees collected directly from yacht owners (Sec. 224).
Who opposes it
- substandard detention facility contractorsBars Immigration and Customs Enforcement from continuing detention contracts with any facility that receives less-than-adequate ratings on its two most recent performance evaluations (Sec. 213).
- Chinese military companies and subsidiariesExplicitly bans DHS from entering into contracts, partnerships, loan guarantees, or grant agreements with Defense Department-identified Chinese military companies or their subsidiaries (Sec. 535).