Pay Our Homeland Defenders Act
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The bill would provide full-year fiscal year 2026 funding for the Department of Homeland Security, covering border enforcement, immigration agencies, the Coast Guard, Secret Service, disaster relief, and cybersecurity programs, and would end the partial DHS shutdown that began in February 2026 after a funding lapse.
It would also authorize back pay for federal employees affected by the shutdown and ratify obligations incurred to keep essential department functions running, resolving a funding gap that had disrupted homeland security operations nationwide.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would appropriate funds for the Department of Homeland Security through the end of fiscal year 2026, covering departmental management, intelligence and oversight offices, Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Transportation Security Administration, the Coast Guard, the Secret Service, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, FEMA (including the Disaster Relief Fund and grant programs), Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers, and the Science and Technology Directorate. It sets specific dollar amounts for hundreds of accounts, includes numerous administrative provisions restricting or conditioning how funds may be used, and rescinds unobligated balances from prior appropriations.
A second division ends the partial DHS shutdown caused by the lapse of the prior continuing resolution, authorizes back pay for affected federal employees, and ratifies obligations incurred during the lapse to maintain essential operations. It also includes smaller unrelated appropriations, such as funding for the Supreme Court and a pay increase for air traffic controllers, riding on the same bill.
Key provisions
- 1Would appropriate funding across DHS components—including CBP, ICE, TSA, Coast Guard, Secret Service, CISA, and FEMA—for the remainder of fiscal year 2026
- 2Would authorize back pay for federal employees affected by the partial DHS shutdown and ratify obligations incurred to maintain essential operations during the lapse
- 3Would provide $26,367,000,000 for the Disaster Relief Fund to cover major disaster declarations under the Stafford Act
- 4Would fund FEMA grant programs including state and urban area homeland security grants, firefighter grants, and flood hazard mapping
- 5Would restrict funds from being used to establish new border crossing fees, expand certain surveillance systems, or reduce embassy law enforcement presence without notice
- 6Would require monthly Secretary estimates of anticipated migrant arrivals and detention/removal levels to inform budgeting
- 7Would rescind specified unobligated balances from prior DHS appropriations accounts
Who would be affected
DHS components and their employees, federal employees affected by the shutdown who would receive back pay, state and local governments and nonprofits receiving homeland security and disaster grants, immigration enforcement and detention contractors, air travelers subject to TSA screening, Supreme Court personnel, and air traffic controllers who would receive a pay increase.
Why it matters
Passage would end a weeks-long funding lapse that had left DHS operating without a full-year budget, restoring predictable funding for border security, disaster response, and cybersecurity work. Federal employees who worked or were furloughed during the lapse would receive back pay, and grant recipients such as fire departments and state emergency agencies would regain access to funding streams.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Sec. 5 (Title III))
Funds and modifies conditions on grant programs (e.g., State Homeland Security Grant Program, Urban Area Security Initiative) established under this Act
Amends Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Sec. 5 (Title III))
Appropriates the Disaster Relief Fund and modifies pre-disaster mitigation grant provisions for fiscal year 2026
Amends National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (Sec. 5 (Title III))
Appropriates funding for the National Flood Insurance Fund and sets spending caps for flood insurance operations and mitigation
Amends Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026 (Public Law 119-37) (Sec. 1001-1003)
Extends the period covered to include the shutdown lapse and ratifies obligations incurred during that period
Amends Immigration and Nationality Act (Sec. 512, 517)
Bars use of funds to amend the naturalization oath and restricts hiring of unauthorized workers under section 274A(h)(3)
Amends Overtime Pay for Protective Services Act (Sec. 237)
Adjusts Secret Service premium pay limitations and reporting requirements on overtime
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- DHS appropriations cover the fiscal year
- The shutdown period covered for back pay and ratified obligations begins
- Air traffic controller pay increase, if implemented, takes effect the first pay period after this date
Funding and costs
- $26,367,000,000
Disaster Relief Fund for major disaster declarations under the Stafford Act
- $17,727,974,000
U.S. Customs and Border Protection operations and support
- $10,036,362,000
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations and support
- $10,635,434,000
Transportation Security Administration operations and support
- $11,272,401,000
Coast Guard operations and support
- $3,836,748,513
FEMA federal assistance grants including homeland security and firefighter grants
- $140,000,000
FAA air traffic organization activities to fund an air traffic controller pay increase
- $30,000,000
Additional funding for Supreme Court salaries and expenses
How implementation would work
DHS components would obligate the appropriated funds according to detailed account-by-account allocations and dozens of administrative provisions requiring notifications, spend plans, and reports to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees before certain funds could be spent or reprogrammed. The Inspector General, Chief Financial Officer, and component heads would submit recurring reports on acquisitions, obligations, detention capacity, and border-crossing projections. Reprogramming or transferring funds above set thresholds would require advance committee notification, and several provisions tie continued reprogramming authority to compliance with reporting deadlines. FEMA would run grant application and award cycles with statutory response-time requirements, and the Secretary would report the funds' use back to Congress quarterly.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Received in the Senate.
Official CRS summary
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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.
Legislative subjects
Appropriations; Aviation and airports; Border security and unlawful immigration; Citizenship and naturalization; Coast guard; Computer security and identity theft; Congressional oversight; Customs enforcement; Department of Homeland Security; Department of Transportation; Detention of persons; Director of National Intelligence; Disaster relief and insurance; Economics and Public Finance; Emergency planning and evacuation; Employee benefits and pensions; Employment and training programs; Executive agency funding and structure; Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); First responders and emergency personnel; Floods and storm protection; Geography and mapping; Government buildings, facilities, and property; Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management; Government information and archives; Government studies and investigations; Government trust funds; Immigration status and procedures; Intellectual property; Intelligence activities, surveillance, classified information; Law enforcement administration and funding; Lease and rental services; Members of Congress; Motor vehicles; Natural disasters; Pollution liability; Protection of officials; Public contracts and procurement; Public transit; Puerto Rico; Radiation; Railroads; Research and development; Senate; Supreme Court; Transportation safety and security; User charges and fees; Youth employment and child labor