Latest news with #AntideficiencyAct
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
ICE slammed for overspending amid ‘egregious' funding mismanagement in House report
A 168-page House report has slammed the Department of Homeland Security for 'egregious' funding mismanagement. The House Appropriations Committee released its report on Wednesday for the Homeland Security funding bill, conveying complaints regarding departmental policies. The report also included guidance on how it would like the funding for the 2026 fiscal year to be spent. One of the concerns included Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spending more money than it had received. Lawmakers from both the Democrats and the Republicans have made such complaints amid the Trump administration's ratcheting up of deportations. This comes as the White House waits for Congress to pass a spending package, which may include billions of dollars in funding for immigration enforcement. 'Actions already taken in fiscal year 2025 are especially egregious—ICE began spending more than its appropriated level shortly after the fiscal year commenced and operations now far exceed available resources,' the report states. Fiscal year 2025 began in October. 'While the Committee recognizes the dynamic environment in which ICE must function, neither ICE nor the Department should rely on other components to fund the deficits that ICE itself often creates,' it adds. 'Not only does that presuppose that other missions within DHS are less important, but it also sets the precedent that the Department can shift funding away from congressional priorities within other components to compensate for ICE's budgetary mismanagement.' The report states that such mismanagement is 'unacceptable' and calls on ICE to update the committee on a monthly basis, 'to ensure appropriate congressional oversight.' The Homeland Security appropriations subcommittee chair, Republican Rep. Mark Amodei of Nevada, told ICE Director Todd Lyon during a recent hearing that the agency was at risk of violating the Antideficiency Act, which prohibits federal agencies from incurring expenses before Congress has approved the spending. 'I would appreciate it if you, for your part, would let folks know up your chain of command that this information, if it's not coming in real time, is not useful,' Amodei told Lyons, according to Politico. He added that they 'have to keep in mind things like the Antideficiency Act … and I'll just be honest with you, speaking for me, I don't know that I have the information that I need to make sure that we're doing our job in the context of that.' The report also states that there are concerns about the TSA, FEMA policy, cybersecurity, as well as the Coast Guard, in addition to the other agencies operated by DHS. The full committee will mark up the bill on Thursday; however, Republican leadership in the House hasn't announced any floor action as of yet on any of the bills handling fiscal year 2026. Bipartisan funding negotiations haven't started with less than four months until the start of the next fiscal year. Additionally, the White House has yet to send a full budget request. Two-thirds of federal law enforcement spending is taken up by immigration and border issues for the 2025 fiscal year, the Cato Institute noted. That includes roughly $19 billion for CBP, $10 billion for ICE, $3.2 billion for DHS general offices, and $281 million for USCIS. ICE spending has increased significantly since its creation in 2003. Recently, its budget has gone from $8.4 billion in 2023 to $9.6 billion in 2024, according to the Senate Appropriations Committee. The Homeland Security Appropriations Bill for 2026 currently includes proposed funding for ICE of $11 billion, about $960 million more than this year. While congressional Republicans have shared concerns about the Trump administration spending too much on deportations, the White House is so far pushing ahead anyway, according to Politico. The administration is pushing legislators to pass the 'big, beautiful bill,' which would add billions of dollars for border security. The Big Beautiful Bill Act would direct $168 billion to immigration and border security, according to the Congressional Budget Office, compared to $34 billion in fiscal year 2025. This comes as Trump aide Stephen Miller is pushing for at least 3,000 arrests of illegal immigrants a day. Lyons noted earlier this month that ICE is currently averaging about 1,600. An administration official told Politico earlier this month: 'It's not just the Democrats saying they'll throw a wrench in this. It's the Republicans, too, questioning why we're spending beyond our means.'
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump admin shrugs off Congressional concerns over ICE spending
Republicans in Congress are anxious that the Trump administration is spending beyond its means to meet the president's ambitious deportation goals. The White House is moving ahead anyway. The showdown over one of President Donald Trump's signature priorities is the latest fight between the two branches over who has the power of the purse. It comes as the administration is pressuring lawmakers to pass a megabill that would add billions in funding for border security — with appropriators quietly urging Trump officials to slow down and not act based on the hype of potential legislation of which passage is not guaranteed. And even as lawmakers publicly and privately plead for the administration to stick within its budget, top White House officials, including senior policy adviser Stephen Miller, have instead intensified efforts to arrest and deport undocumented immigrants. 'You think that Stephen Miller is going to accept, 'sorry Stephen, I'm just waiting on my annual appropriation, I'll get back to you?'' said an administration official, granted anonymity to discuss private conversations. 'That's not a response you give him.' Trump's top aides are pressing ICE for higher arrest numbers, with Miller calling for at least 3,000 apprehensions a day — double what the agency was tasked with during Trump's first month in office. Acting ICE director Todd Lyons said the agency is currently averaging 1,600. Concerns on Capitol Hill spilled into the open during a hearing last month. Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.) chair of the House appropriations subcommittee overseeing resources to the Department of Homeland Security, said his office lacked the information it needed to ensure the agency was spending funds approved by Congress. The administration, he said, could be risking a violation of the Antideficiency Act, which bars federal agencies from using resources before Congress has greenlit the spending. 'I would appreciate it if you, for your part, would let folks know up your chain of command that this information, if it's not coming in real time, is not useful,' Amodei told Lyons, who was on hand to testify. '[We] have to keep in mind things like the Antideficiency Act … and I'll just be honest with you, speaking for me, I don't know that I have the information that I need to make sure that we're doing our job in the context of that.' Republicans widely support spending on border enforcement, detainment and deportations. They are also expected to back the White House's request to Congress to claw back Congressionally appropriated funding, even if it could pose a political liability for some moderate GOP lawmakers. But the administration's brazen tactics are poised to test whether Hill Republicans can stomach losing even more of their power over federal government operations. 'It's not just the Democrats saying they'll throw a wrench in this,' the administration official said. 'It's the Republicans, too, questioning why we're spending beyond our means.' Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, a Republican appropriator from Florida, said getting information about the administration's spending has been 'an issue writ large' and that there have been some 'growing pains' given how quickly the president has moved to enact new policy. 'Things are happening really fast, and we're not always getting the information on a timely basis,' he said in an interview, while declining to comment on concerns about DHS' spending specifically. When asked about the tensions between Congress and the White House, administration officials told POLITICO that Senate Republicans must advance the House-passed tax and spending package so the agency can hire more Border Patrol and ICE agents, and fund border wall construction and new technology. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, in a statement, said 'with the 'most secure border in American history,' the administration 'can't let up now.' The White House echoed DHS and said Trump is 'keeping his promises to secure the Southern Border and deport illegal aliens.' 'All of the tremendous success we're already seeing in such a short time can be locked in and made permanent with final passage of The One, Big, Beautiful Bill — it will provide the funding needed to deport the millions of illegals who entered under Joe Biden and permanently secure the border,' said spokesperson Abigail Jackson. Democrats are unsurprisingly more blunt in their criticism of what they see as an administration running roughshod over Congress. 'They are spending beyond their means,' said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) in an interview. 'They are going to run out of money two months prior to the end of the fiscal year.' Despite Congressional concerns, the White House is signaling its impatience with even the current progress. ICE last week underwent another leadership shake-up, underscoring the administration's frustrations with the arrest and deportation numbers. Robert Hammer, the acting head of Homeland Security Investigations, was reassigned after just four months in the role, and Kenneth Genalo, who was acting chief of enforcement and removal operations, announced he was retiring. And while ICE's importance to the Trump agenda is unparalleled, the administration's insistence that it can control what it spends is not. Proposals from the Office of Management and Budget suggest that some agencies have been directed to execute the White House's fiscal 2026 budget request now — as opposed to adhering to the current enacted funding levels. A proposal from the White House budget office, obtained by POLITICO's E&E News, directs the Commerce Department to align its 2025 spending with the plan that it lays out for the following year. The OMB proposal for NASA also contains language that states the directive to begin 2026 plans explicitly, according to two people familiar with NASA's budget. If the administration continues to press the potential limits of its funding power, it could set up a looming confrontation with Republican appropriators. Rep. David Joyce, an Ohio Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, said it would be an issue if the administration was playing around with funds Congress had not yet approved. 'If you're taking money that, from other pockets, and then going to backfill it when you get your allocation, that's a problem,' he said. Chelsea Harvey and Sam Skove contributed to this report.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump admin shrugs off Congressional concerns over ICE spending
Republicans in Congress are anxious that the Trump administration is spending beyond its means to meet the president's ambitious deportation goals. The White House is moving ahead anyway. The showdown over one of President Donald Trump's signature priorities is the latest fight between the two branches over who has the power of the purse. It comes as the administration is pressuring lawmakers to pass a megabill that would add billions in funding for border security — with appropriators quietly urging Trump officials to slow down and not act based on the hype of potential legislation of which passage is not guaranteed. And even as lawmakers publicly and privately plead for the administration to stick within its budget, top White House officials, including senior policy adviser Stephen Miller, have instead intensified efforts to arrest and deport undocumented immigrants. 'You think that Stephen Miller is going to accept, 'sorry Stephen, I'm just waiting on my annual appropriation, I'll get back to you?'' said an administration official, granted anonymity to discuss private conversations. 'That's not a response you give him.' Trump's top aides are pressing ICE for higher arrest numbers, with Miller calling for at least 3,000 apprehensions a day — double what the agency was tasked with during Trump's first month in office. Acting ICE director Todd Lyons said the agency is currently averaging 1,600. Concerns on Capitol Hill spilled into the open during a hearing last month. Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.) chair of the House appropriations subcommittee overseeing resources to the Department of Homeland Security, said his office lacked the information it needed to ensure the agency was spending funds approved by Congress. The administration, he said, could be risking a violation of the Antideficiency Act, which bars federal agencies from using resources before Congress has greenlit the spending. 'I would appreciate it if you, for your part, would let folks know up your chain of command that this information, if it's not coming in real time, is not useful,' Amodei told Lyons, who was on hand to testify. '[We] have to keep in mind things like the Antideficiency Act … and I'll just be honest with you, speaking for me, I don't know that I have the information that I need to make sure that we're doing our job in the context of that.' Republicans widely support spending on border enforcement, detainment and deportations. They are also expected to back the White House's request to Congress to claw back Congressionally appropriated funding, even if it could pose a political liability for some moderate GOP lawmakers. But the administration's brazen tactics are poised to test whether Hill Republicans can stomach losing even more of their power over federal government operations. 'It's not just the Democrats saying they'll throw a wrench in this,' the administration official said. 'It's the Republicans, too, questioning why we're spending beyond our means.' Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, a Republican appropriator from Florida, said getting information about the administration's spending has been 'an issue writ large' and that there have been some 'growing pains' given how quickly the president has moved to enact new policy. 'Things are happening really fast, and we're not always getting the information on a timely basis,' he said in an interview, while declining to comment on concerns about DHS' spending specifically. When asked about the tensions between Congress and the White House, administration officials told POLITICO that Senate Republicans must advance the House-passed tax and spending package so the agency can hire more Border Patrol and ICE agents, and fund border wall construction and new technology. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, in a statement, said 'with the 'most secure border in American history,' the administration 'can't let up now.' The White House echoed DHS and said Trump is 'keeping his promises to secure the Southern Border and deport illegal aliens.' 'All of the tremendous success we're already seeing in such a short time can be locked in and made permanent with final passage of The One, Big, Beautiful Bill — it will provide the funding needed to deport the millions of illegals who entered under Joe Biden and permanently secure the border,' said spokesperson Abigail Jackson. Democrats are unsurprisingly more blunt in their criticism of what they see as an administration running roughshod over Congress. 'They are spending beyond their means,' said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) in an interview. 'They are going to run out of money two months prior to the end of the fiscal year.' Despite Congressional concerns, the White House is signaling its impatience with even the current progress. ICE last week underwent another leadership shake-up, underscoring the administration's frustrations with the arrest and deportation numbers. Robert Hammer, the acting head of Homeland Security Investigations, was reassigned after just four months in the role, and Kenneth Genalo, who was acting chief of enforcement and removal operations, announced he was retiring. And while ICE's importance to the Trump agenda is unparalleled, the administration's insistence that it can control what it spends is not. Proposals from the Office of Management and Budget suggest that some agencies have been directed to execute the White House's fiscal 2026 budget request now — as opposed to adhering to the current enacted funding levels. A proposal from the White House budget office, obtained by POLITICO's E&E News, directs the Commerce Department to align its 2025 spending with the plan that it lays out for the following year. The OMB proposal for NASA also contains language that states the directive to begin 2026 plans explicitly, according to two people familiar with NASA's budget. If the administration continues to press the potential limits of its funding power, it could set up a looming confrontation with Republican appropriators. Rep. David Joyce, an Ohio Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, said it would be an issue if the administration was playing around with funds Congress had not yet approved. 'If you're taking money that, from other pockets, and then going to backfill it when you get your allocation, that's a problem,' he said. Chelsea Harvey and Sam Skove contributed to this report.
Politico
04-06-2025
- Business
- Politico
Trump admin shrugs off Congressional concerns over ICE spending
Republicans in Congress are anxious that the Trump administration is spending beyond its means to meet the president's ambitious deportation goals. The White House is moving ahead anyway. The showdown over one of President Donald Trump's signature priorities is the latest fight between the two branches over who has the power of the purse. It comes as the administration is pressuring lawmakers to pass a megabill that would add billions in funding for border security — with appropriators quietly urging Trump officials to slow down and not act based on the hype of potential legislation of which passage is not guaranteed. And even as lawmakers publicly and privately plead for the administration to stick within its budget, top White House officials, including senior policy adviser Stephen Miller, have instead intensified efforts to arrest and deport undocumented immigrants. 'You think that Stephen Miller is going to accept, 'sorry Stephen, I'm just waiting on my annual appropriation, I'll get back to you?'' said an administration official, granted anonymity to discuss private conversations. 'That's not a response you give him.' Trump's top aides are pressing ICE for higher arrest numbers, with Miller calling for at least 3,000 apprehensions a day — double what the agency was tasked with during Trump's first month in office. Acting ICE director Todd Lyons said the agency is currently averaging 1,600. Concerns on Capitol Hill spilled into the open during a hearing last month. Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.) chair of the House appropriations subcommittee overseeing resources to the Department of Homeland Security, said his office lacked the information it needed to ensure the agency was spending funds approved by Congress. The administration, he said, could be risking a violation of the Antideficiency Act, which bars federal agencies from using resources before Congress has greenlit the spending. 'I would appreciate it if you, for your part, would let folks know up your chain of command that this information, if it's not coming in real time, is not useful,' Amodei told Lyons, who was on hand to testify. '[We] have to keep in mind things like the Antideficiency Act … and I'll just be honest with you, speaking for me, I don't know that I have the information that I need to make sure that we're doing our job in the context of that.' Republicans widely support spending on border enforcement, detainment and deportations. They are also expected to back the White House's request to Congress to claw back Congressionally appropriated funding, even if it could pose a political liability for some moderate GOP lawmakers. But the administration's brazen tactics are poised to test whether Hill Republicans can stomach losing even more of their power over federal government operations. 'It's not just the Democrats saying they'll throw a wrench in this,' the administration official said. 'It's the Republicans, too, questioning why we're spending beyond our means.' Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, a Republican appropriator from Florida, said getting information about the administration's spending has been 'an issue writ large' and that there have been some 'growing pains' given how quickly the president has moved to enact new policy. 'Things are happening really fast, and we're not always getting the information on a timely basis,' he said in an interview, while declining to comment on concerns about DHS' spending specifically. When asked about the tensions between Congress and the White House, administration officials told POLITICO that Senate Republicans must advance the House-passed tax and spending package so the agency can hire more Border Patrol and ICE agents, and fund border wall construction and new technology. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, in a statement, said 'with the 'most secure border in American history,' the administration 'can't let up now.' The White House echoed DHS and said Trump is 'keeping his promises to secure the Southern Border and deport illegal aliens.' 'All of the tremendous success we're already seeing in such a short time can be locked in and made permanent with final passage of The One, Big, Beautiful Bill — it will provide the funding needed to deport the millions of illegals who entered under Joe Biden and permanently secure the border,' said spokesperson Abigail Jackson. Democrats are unsurprisingly more blunt in their criticism of what they see as an administration running roughshod over Congress. 'They are spending beyond their means,' said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) in an interview. 'They are going to run out of money two months prior to the end of the fiscal year.' Despite Congressional concerns, the White House is signaling its impatience with even the current progress. ICE last week underwent another leadership shake-up, underscoring the administration's frustrations with the arrest and deportation numbers. Robert Hammer, the acting head of Homeland Security Investigations, was reassigned after just four months in the role, and Kenneth Genalo, who was acting chief of enforcement and removal operations, announced he was retiring. And while ICE's importance to the Trump agenda is unparalleled, the administration's insistence that it can control what it spends is not. Proposals from the Office of Management and Budget suggest that some agencies have been directed to execute the White House's fiscal 2026 budget request now — as opposed to adhering to the current enacted funding levels. A proposal from the White House budget office, obtained by POLITICO's E&E News, directs the Commerce Department to align its 2025 spending with the plan that it lays out for the following year. The OMB proposal for NASA also contains language that states the directive to begin 2026 plans explicitly, according to two people familiar with NASA's budget. If the administration continues to press the potential limits of its funding power, it could set up a looming confrontation with Republican appropriators. Rep. David Joyce, an Ohio Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, said it would be an issue if the administration was playing around with funds Congress had not yet approved. 'If you're taking money that, from other pockets, and then going to backfill it when you get your allocation, that's a problem,' he said. Chelsea Harvey and Sam Skove contributed to this report.
New York Post
24-04-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Republicans demand probe of whether AmeriCorps misspent $144M from Biden ‘rescue plan'
The GOP-led House Committee on Education & the Workforce is demanding an investigation into whether AmeriCorps misspent $144 million from the Biden-era American Rescue Plan after Congress tried to claw back that funding. A watchdog at AmeriCorps, one of the largest federal civil service organizations, had raised concerns about the millions, but the agency insisted it was obligated to spend the money in a bid to head off further review. Now Education Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) is asking for the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate. 'In light of the Inspector General's analysis, I am concerned that AmeriCorps may have improperly recorded its grant obligations, obligated rescinded ARP funds, and violated the Antideficiency Act or other fiscal laws,' Walberg wrote in a Thursday letter to US Comptroller Gene Dodaro Thursday. 'Unfortunately, a lack of financial accountability is a longstanding problem for AmeriCorps, as evidenced by its eight consecutive failed audits. This concerns me.' 4 AmeriCorps organizes volunteers to serve communities across the US. AP 4 The agency's goal is to teach young people critical skills and the importance of serving their community. The Washington Post via Getty Images Last week, most AmeriCorps staff were put on administrative leave following a review from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The Post previously reported that volunteers in its youth program — the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) — were abruptly sent home earlier this month. An estimated 15% of AmeriCorps staff were still active, the Associated Press reported. AmeriCorps had a budget of more than $1.2 billion in fiscal year 2024 and more than 500 full-time federal staff, according to its website. The agency had received a total of $1 billion from the American Rescue Plan, the Biden administration's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus package in 2021. Two years later, Congress moved to take back unspent money as part of a deal to raise the debt limit. The AmeriCorps Office of Inspector General was unconvinced that the $144 million spent after the congressional clawback was due to ironclad obligations. 4 Former President Joe Biden had been a staunch backer of AmeriCorps. AFP via Getty Images 'The Inspector General notes that obligations made after funds were rescinded may constitute an Antideficiency Act violation and emphasizes that ambiguity about the proper obligation and recording dates gives rise to potentially 'inaccurate … annual financial statements provided to Congress and the public,'' Walberg noted. The Antideficiency Act prohibits the feds from making payments that exceed what Congress has authorized. AmeriCorps declined to press for a GAO investigation into the concerns raised by its watchdog, arguing that its 'practices are in compliance with all relevant laws and policies,' Walberg recounted. Fiscal hawks in Washington have long been skeptical about AmeriCorps. A 2017 inspector general's report concluded that the services volunteers provided cost 'four to eight times more than the same services' from other programs between 2012 and 2013. 4 Chairman Tim Walberg said that there have been longstanding concerns about AmeriCorps' fiscal stewardship. AP 'Each member's ten months of service costs $29,674 (for FY 2014), more than a year's tuition, room and board at a public university; for that sum, four individuals could obtain two-year community college degrees,' the report stated. 'Yet, despite this substantial investment, NCCC alumni achieve no better long-term outcomes than alumni of AmeriCorps programs that cost a fraction of that amount.'
