DHS Would Get a $400 Million Boost for the Rest of FY 2015 Under House Bill

In December, Congress passed an FY 2015 omnibus that funded all federal departments through the rest of the fiscal year, ending on September 30, except for DHS, which was funded with a continuing resolution (CR) until February 27, 2015. 

Now, with the DHS CR set to expire in a few weeks, the House has approved a FY 2015 Homeland Security Appropriations bill which would fund DHS through September, provided the Senate can move forward on a comparable version and the two chambers can reconcile a final bill to send to the president by the deadline.

The House bill, H.R. 240, provides a total of $39.7 billion in discretionary funding, which is an increase of $400 million (+1%) over the FY 2014 enacted level of $39.3 billion, which itself was a billion dollars more than White House requested in the FY 2015 budget. If enacted, the $37.7 billion would constitute more than a 3.5% increase over what the president requested for this fiscal year.

The bill and the accompanying Explanatory Statement provide details into agency funding and some specific IT investments areas.

• Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) – $288.1 million, of which $189.1 million is multi-year money available through FY 2016. The $288.1 million is $31 million over the FY 2014 enacted level. An additional $1 million is provided for the DHS Data Framework initiative and an additional $500 thousand is provided for cyber remediation tools.
• Cybersecurity – The bill includes a total of $753.2 million for cybersecurity operations in the National Programs and Protection Directorate (NPPD). An additional $164.5 million is provided for NPPD Communications and $271 million for infrastructure protection programs, for an aggregate total of $1.19 billion. Cybersecurity workforce funding of $25.9 million is provided for Global Cybersecurity Management, of which at least $15.8 million is for cybersecurity education.
• Science and Technology – $1.1 billion, $116.3 million below the FY 2014 enacted level, but $32.1 million above the president’s request. This includes $973.9 million for Research, Development, Acquisition, and Operations.
• Customs and Border Protection (CBP) – $10.7 billion, an increase of $118.7 million above the FY 2014 enacted level. Of this, a total of $808.2 million is provided for Automation Modernization efforts for TECS, Automated Commercial Environment (ACE), International Trade Data System (ITDS) and others. The bill slates $382.5 million for Border Security Fencing, Infrastructure, and Technology (BSFIT).
• Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) – $5.96 billion, an increase of $689.4 million over the FY 2014 enacted level. IT funding includes $3.5 million to support enhancements to the PATRIOT system for visa vetting
• Transportation Security Administration (TSA) – $4.8 billion, a decrease of $94.3 million below the FY 2014 enacted level. Technology provisions include $334 million for Explosives Detection Systems (EDS) Procurement and Installation, of which $83.9 million is discretionary funds. The bill also includes $449 million for Transportation Security Support IT and $295 million for Screening Technology Maintenance.
• Coast Guard – $10 billion, $159 million below the FY 2014 level but $439.5 million above the president’s request, including $2.5 million to restore cuts to USCG information technology programs.
• Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) – $124.4 million in discretionary appropriations is provided for the E- Verify program.
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) – $934.4 million for Salaries and Expenses, down $12.6 million from the FY 2014 enacted level. The bill allows for $7 billion for disaster relief and $2.5 billion in first responder grants, including $1.5 billion for state and local grants; $680 million for Assistance to Firefighter Grants, and $350 million for Emergency Management Performance Grants.
• Secret Service – $1.7 billion, an increase of $80.5 million above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level. This includes $21.5 million to begin preparation and training for presidential candidate nominee protection for the 2016 presidential election, including for protective vehicles and communications technology. It also includes $45,6 million for investments in Information Integration and Technology Transformation programs.

As anticipated, the House bill restricts the use of funds for controversial White House immigration measures. The House Appropriations Committee Report that accompanies the bill includes an amendment stipulating that no funds, resources, or fees provided to DHS may be used to implement the immigration policy changes that the president initiated last fall.

The ball is now in the hands of the Senate Appropriations Committee (SAC), which has just solidified and announced committee chairs after the leadership change resulting from last November’s election. The Homeland Security subcommittee will need to quickly move their bill forward from the last committee action last summer if they hope to make the February 17 deadline, so the clock is ticking.