Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026

Floor Speech

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Mr. AMODEI of Nevada. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Homeland Security bill under consideration.

As the chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee, I thank the full committee chair, Mr. Cole, my colleague from Oklahoma, for his leadership in helping to return us to regular order and producing a series of bills that will fully fund the government by the January 30 deadline.

I also thank my colleague from Connecticut, the ranking member, Rosa DeLauro, who was part of this combination. We have seen them work before in years past, both as the chairman of the full committee and as folks on other subcommittees that have worked well. It has been a help to all of us, and I thank them all publicly for their professionalism and respect for each other in our process.

I also thank my good friend, subcommittee Ranking Member Cuellar, a real pro. We don't agree all the time, but it is like it has never been a disagreeable experience. There are days around this outfit when, quite frankly, that isn't the case. I thank my friend. I appreciate that. He has been a great partner.

Finally, I will take the time to thank the committee staff on both sides of the aisle who worked tirelessly over the past month to negotiate the product before us. On the majority side are Paul Anstine, Anna Lanier Fischer, Fern Gibbons, Alessandra Ramirez, Ashley Truluck, and Nkosi Thomas. On the minority side are Shannon McCully, Jamie Wise, and Jim Ellsworth.

It was not cool to be on Appropriations during the last 30 days, for sure, and they were real troupers, professionals, and class acts. I thank them all for their dedication and effort.

I also remind everybody, because we get tied up in a lot of stuff, that, essentially, the Homeland Security bill is the Coast Guard, FEMA, TSA, Secret Service, Border Patrol, and ICE. There are other parts in there, but that is the majority of what we are talking about. Homeland, what is that? That is the agencies that take up the lion's share of this sort of stuff.

As the chairmen, we would like to basically think that by having those meetings, talking across the aisle and with our staffs, that what we have produced is a bedrock model for going forward and getting us out of the continuing resolution rut. Continuing resolutions lock us into spending levels that are both outdated and have not evolved like, frankly, the positions on both sides.

The fiscal year 2026 Homeland Security bill under consideration today furthers this administration's goals of undoing the damage caused by the previous administration, starting with the border. This funds the President's priorities, codifies reductions and efficiencies, and operationalizes border security and immigration enforcement investments in the reconciliation process.

Mr. Speaker, let's start with ICE. I know people have lamented that, boy, we really didn't get everything we wanted and all that stuff. It is like, guess what. There is something that we should both be celebrating here today, and it is about ICE.

Since the last administration wasn't real big on ICE, kind of maybe hoped they didn't exist or whatever, one of the things that didn't happen with respect to ICE, like all other law enforcement agencies around, was the use and implementation of body cameras so that we don't have to rely on somebody who happened to have their cell phone and have a good angle, whether they are accusing or defending themselves for whatever they did. This bill funds body cameras for ICE personnel so that we can have first-person, if you will, access to what people really think was done.

Would you like a pay raise for the Coast Guard? This bill does that.

Would you like more infrastructure for the Coast Guard? This bill does that.

Would you like grants for first responders and nonprofit religious worship institutions? This bill does that.

The foundation is undeniable. As the tax on houses of worship has increased over the last few years, we are providing more money for that.

Finally, we ensure that CISA, the agency that is charged with protecting our critical infrastructure, like power and water, has the resources required to prevent attacks from nation-state adversaries like China and Russia.

Simply put, this bill ensures that the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security, who work tirelessly to keep America safe, have the resources and tools that they need to protect this great Nation.

I ask my colleagues to continue to support the bill.

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