US Congress Approves $70 Billion DHS Funding Bill Amidst Partisan Divide
The Department of Homeland Security receives additional three-year funding to support mass deportation initiatives, while opposition lawmakers highlight unspent capital and reduced security budgets.
The US Congress has approved a budget reconciliation bill providing an additional $70 billion to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over the next three years. The House voted 214 to 212 on Tuesday, following a 52-47 Senate vote last Friday. The funding supplements the nearly $200 billion DHS received in 2025 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, with the legislation designed to support President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda.
The vote fell largely along party lines, with no Democrats voting in favour of the measure. In the Senate, Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski was the only member of her party to vote against the bill. In the House, Representative Tim Walberg initially voted against the legislation but changed his vote to support it after discussions with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Appropriations Chair Tom Cole.
Democrats opposed the measure, citing concerns over mass deportation initiatives, cuts to cybersecurity and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) funding, and a lack of reforms for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection. Representative Mary Gay Scanlon criticised the use of the budget reconciliation process to avoid negotiation with Democrats, noting that DHS has yet to spend $100 billion of the nearly $200 billion it received under the previous act.
Representative Rosa DeLauro noted that the bill cuts funding for cybersecurity and the TSA, whose workers went unpaid during a recent DHS shutdown. Democrats also sought reforms for ICE and Customs and Border Protection following the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, but these were not included in the final bill. Additionally, Democrats attempted to use the legislation to block Trump’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund,” which is intended to compensate individuals claiming victimisation by the federal government.
The funding bill comes at a time of deep unpopularity for ICE, with one recent poll indicating that only 33 per cent of voters approve of the agency’s performance. Border czar Tom Homan stated he would send additional ICE agents to New York City if the state passes legislation limiting cooperation with DHS. The Department of Justice had previously stated it would stop work on the “anti-weaponization fund” after a federal judge in Virginia temporarily blocked payouts, although President Trump has continued to express interest in the initiative.
