Latest news with #MarkAmodei
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
House Republicans advance 2026 Homeland Security funding bill
House Republicans advanced legislation on Tuesday laying out funding plans for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for fiscal 2026, calling for boosts to immigration enforcement efforts. The GOP-led House Appropriations Committee approved the bill along party lines on Tuesday evening after members spent hours debating the legislation and proposed changes to the text. The bill allows for about $66 billion in total discretionary funding for fiscal year 2026, with the non-defense portion of those funds accounting for roughly $63 billion, or nearly two percent higher than current levels. It also calls for about a one percent decrease in defense funds for the annual bill, amounting to about $3.3 billion. Additionally, the bill allows for $26.5 billion in funding for what negotiators describe as 'major disaster response and recovery activities' and $6.3 billion in discretionary appropriations offset by fee collections. The measure comes as Republicans are also looking to greenlight further funding for the administration's mass deportation plans and immigration enforcement as part of a separate package aimed at advancing the president's tax agenda that GOP leadership hopes to pass before August. Among the biggest increases in the plan advanced on Tuesday is a nearly $1 billion boost for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which would see $11 billion under the House GOP proposal. Republicans say the funding would allow for 50,000 detention beds, an increase for Transportation and Removal Operations to 'effectuate the removal orders of the more than 1.3 million aliens who no longer have a legal basis to remain in this country.' The bill calls for $31.8 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), or a $4.5 billion jump above current levels, and proposes $26.5 billion for the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF). It would also boost funds for the Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Coast Guard and Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers. However, it pushes to cut funding for a list of offices while calling for the elimination of the Shelter and Services Program, the Case Management Pilot Program, funding for soft-sided facilities, the Office of Immigration Detention Ombudsman, the Family Reunification Task Force and border management activities. It would also reduce funding for the Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, the Office of the Secretary, the Office of Public Affairs, the Office of Policy, the Office of the General Counsel and the Office of Legislative Affairs. Republicans have touted the bill as delivering on key investments for the Trump administration's immigration enforcement and border security efforts. 'Alongside renewed leadership in the White House, we are replacing the consequences of past weakness with a posture of strong U.S. preparedness,' Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.), head of the subcommittee that crafted the annual DHS funding bill, said in a statement. 'From our borders and ports to aviation and cyber, we deliver the personnel, training, and technology to reinforce our community defenses and confront those who wish us harm. I commend the advancement of this legislation, which ensures our laws are enforced, our agencies are equipped, and our citizens are protected.' But in a bill report accompanying the funding legislation, appropriators also detailed concerns with ICE's 'financial management practices,' which they noted 'have led to an inappropriate and disproportionate reliance on reprogramming and transfer authority to ensure solvency at the end of any given fiscal year over the past decade.' '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,' it said, referring to the fiscal year that runs from October 2024 to September 2025. 'In order to sustain this heightened operational tempo, ICE has and will likely continue to use the bill's transfer and reprogramming authority to the maximum extent, once again taking from other components' operational priorities.' Democrats have come out in staunch opposition to the overall House GOP funding proposal. 'It fails to protect American citizens from being confronted in their homes and offices, or having their property seized, as this Administration's deportation policies ignore the boundaries of our laws,' Rep. Lauren Underwood (Ill.), top Democrat on the subcommittee alongside Amodei, said in a statement. 'It shamefully allows law enforcement to continue snatching people off the street, at church, at schools, without requiring proper identification or due process.' 'Meanwhile, the White House requested zero dollars to supplement FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund that all Americans rely on to recover from major disasters, and fails to acknowledge an urgent $8 billion dollar deficit in the DRF.' The committee considered a series of amendments on Tuesday during the hearing, including proposals by Democrats seeking to block the detention of U.S. citizens, the elimination of FEMA, or the dismantling of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program. An amendment offered by Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) also sought to further reduce funding for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in the bill, which currently calls for $2.7 billion for the agency, or about $135 million lower than current levels. In detailing the amendment on Tuesday, Clyde said his proposal would reduce funding for the agency to be more in line with cuts sought in President Trump's fiscal year 2026 budget request level for the agency. 'I believe this cut is necessary to rein in the waste abuse and mission drift and politicization, political weaponization, excuse me, that plague to CISA under the Biden-Harris administration, as well as to return the agency to its core mission,' he said, while praising the Trump administration for 'proposing a $491 million cut to CISA.' However, Clyde ultimately withdrew his amendment, saying he reserved 'to offer on the floor.' In remarks at votes later he told The Hill that he thinks the House floor is a 'better venue than in committee,' adding he thinks 'we'll be more successful on the House floor than we would in committee.' Amodei told The Hill shortly after that he opposed the amendment and said 'it wouldn't get adopted' if brought to a vote in committee, adding he thinks 'CISA's taken enough hits already.' 'They've been punished enough for their alleged prior administration stuff, time to move on, especially since we're not in the middle of a receding threat environment,' he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
6 days ago
- Business
- The Hill
House Republicans advance 2026 Homeland Security funding bill
House Republicans advanced legislation on Tuesday laying out funding plans for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for fiscal 2026, calling for boosts to immigration enforcement efforts. The GOP-led House Appropriations Committee approved the bill along party lines on Tuesday evening after members spent hours debating the legislation and proposed changes to the text. The bill allows for about $66 billion in total discretionary funding for fiscal year 2026, with the non-defense portion of those funds accounting for roughly $63 billion, or nearly two percent higher than current levels. It also calls for about a one percent decrease in defense funds for the annual bill, amounting to about $3.3 billion. Additionally, the bill allows for $26.5 billion in funding for what negotiators describe as 'major disaster response and recovery activities' and $6.3 billion in discretionary appropriations offset by fee collections. The measure comes as Republicans are also looking to greenlight further funding for the administration's mass deportation plans and immigration enforcement as part of a separate package aimed at advancing the president's tax agenda that GOP leadership hopes to pass before August. Among the biggest increases in the plan advanced on Tuesday is a nearly $1 billion boost for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which would see $11 billion under the House GOP proposal. Republicans say the funding would allow for 50,000 detention beds, an increase for Transportation and Removal Operations to 'effectuate the removal orders of the more than 1.3 million aliens who no longer have a legal basis to remain in this country.' The bill calls for $31.8 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), or a $4.5 billion jump above current levels, and proposes $26.5 billion for the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF). It would also boost funds for the Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Coast Guard and Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers. However, it pushes to cut funding for a list of offices while calling for the elimination of the Shelter and Services Program, the Case Management Pilot Program, funding for soft-sided facilities, the Office of Immigration Detention Ombudsman, the Family Reunification Task Force and border management activities. It would also reduce funding for the Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, the Office of the Secretary, the Office of Public Affairs, the Office of Policy, the Office of the General Counsel and the Office of Legislative Affairs. Republicans have touted the bill as delivering on key investments for the Trump administration's immigration enforcement and border security efforts. 'Alongside renewed leadership in the White House, we are replacing the consequences of past weakness with a posture of strong U.S. preparedness,' Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.), head of the subcommittee that crafted the annual DHS funding bill, said in a statement. 'From our borders and ports to aviation and cyber, we deliver the personnel, training, and technology to reinforce our community defenses and confront those who wish us harm. I commend the advancement of this legislation, which ensures our laws are enforced, our agencies are equipped, and our citizens are protected.' But in a bill report accompanying the funding legislation, appropriators also detailed concerns with ICE's 'financial management practices,' which they noted 'have led to an inappropriate and disproportionate reliance on reprogramming and transfer authority to ensure solvency at the end of any given fiscal year over the past decade.' '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,' it said, referring to the fiscal year that runs from October 2024 to September 2025. 'In order to sustain this heightened operational tempo, ICE has and will likely continue to use the bill's transfer and reprogramming authority to the maximum extent, once again taking from other components' operational priorities.' Democrats have come out in staunch opposition to the overall House GOP funding proposal. 'It fails to protect American citizens from being confronted in their homes and offices, or having their property seized, as this Administration's deportation policies ignore the boundaries of our laws,' Rep. Lauren Underwood (Ill.), top Democrat on the subcommittee alongside Amodei, said in a statement. 'It shamefully allows law enforcement to continue snatching people off the street, at church, at schools, without requiring proper identification or due process.' 'Meanwhile, the White House requested zero dollars to supplement FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund that all Americans rely on to recover from major disasters, and fails to acknowledge an urgent $8 billion dollar deficit in the DRF.' The committee considered a series of amendments on Tuesday during the hearing, including proposals by Democrats seeking to block the detention of U.S. citizens, the elimination of FEMA, or the dismantling of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program. An amendment offered by Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) also sought to further reduce funding for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in the bill, which currently calls for $2.7 billion for the agency, or about $135 million lower than current levels. In detailing the amendment on Tuesday, Clyde said his proposal would reduce funding for the agency to be more in line with cuts sought in President Trump's fiscal year 2026 budget request level for the agency. 'I believe this cut is necessary to rein in the waste abuse and mission drift and politicization, political weaponization, excuse me, that plague to CISA under the Biden-Harris administration, as well as to return the agency to its core mission,' he said, while praising the Trump administration for 'proposing a $491 million cut to CISA.' However, Clyde ultimately withdrew his amendment, saying he reserved 'to offer on the floor.' In remarks at votes later he told The Hill that he thinks the House floor is a 'better venue than in committee,' adding he thinks 'we'll be more successful on the House floor than we would in committee.' Amodei told The Hill shortly after that he opposed the amendment and said 'it wouldn't get adopted' if brought to a vote in committee, adding he thinks 'CISA's taken enough hits already.' 'They've been punished enough for their alleged prior administration stuff, time to move on, especially since we're not in the middle of a receding threat environment,' he said.
Newsweek
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Full List of Republicans Who Voted Against Donald Trump's DOGE Cuts
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The House of Representatives narrowly passed a rescissions package Thursday, a centerpiece of President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency initiative, that would strip $9.4 billion in approved federal funding, including $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. But not all Republicans fell in line. In a 214-212 vote, four GOP representatives—Mike Turner of Ohio, Mark Amodei of Nevada, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Nicole Malliotakis of New York—joined all Democrats in opposing the bill. Why It Matters The House narrowly approved a package targeting foreign aid programs and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. This corporation funds National Public Radio (NPR), the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), and thousands of public radio and TV stations nationwide. Before the vote, the package faced growing pressure from Trump and conservative advocacy groups. Trump urged Republicans to support it in a post on Truth Social just before the vote, writing: "The Rescissions Bill is a NO BRAINER, and every single Republican in Congress should vote 'YES.'" He also called NPR and PBS "a Radical Left Disaster, and 1000% against the Republican Party." Rep. Mark Amodei speaks as (L-R) Rep. Elise Stefanik, Rep. Tom Emmer and House Speaker Mike Johnson listen at the RNC headquarters on June 26, 2024. Rep. Mark Amodei speaks as (L-R) Rep. Elise Stefanik, Rep. Tom Emmer and House Speaker Mike Johnson listen at the RNC headquarters on June 26, 2024. Photo byWhat To Know The cuts are the closest Republicans have come in decades to defunding public broadcasting and sharply cutting humanitarian aid. Fiscal conservatives support the package, but public media advocates and aid groups warn that the impact would be immediate and serious. "This rescissions package sends $9.4 billion back to the U.S. Treasury," said Michigan Representative Lisa McClain, the chair of the House Republican Conference. "That's $9.4 billion saved from being wasted. It's taxpayer money," she told the Associated Press. Representative Chip Roy, a Texas Republican, defended the cuts, criticizing spending on "pottery classes" and "diversity, equity and inclusion programs." Roy said concerns about a humanitarian crisis are overblown. "Let's just reject this now," he said on the House floor. Breaking With the Party Representative Amodei from Nevada's 2nd District has raised concerns about budget cuts affecting rural areas. Fitzpatrick and Turner also represent districts where NPR and PBS stations are important local news sources. The cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting would hit rural stations hard. Nearly half of the 1,500 affected stations are in rural communities, according to the AP. Public broadcasters warn that many stations could shut down, limiting emergency alerts, local news, and educational programming. Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska, who will vote on the bill in the Senate, warned it would "severely hamper" critical communications in her state. "What some see as a frivolous expense is a vital resource that saves lives in Alaska," she told NBC News. Foreign Aid Cuts Prompt Global Alarm Democrats strongly criticized the proposed cuts to humanitarian funding. The rescissions would slash $900 million from global health programs, $500 million from child and maternal health programs, and $400 million for fighting HIV. Another $800 million in emergency refugee aid is also at risk. "These cuts will lead to the deaths of hundreds of thousands," said Representative Jim McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat. "This bill is good for Russia and China and undertakers," added Representative Steve Cohen, a Tennessee Democrat. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries called the measure "reckless" and part of "an extreme ideological crusade." Speaking to the AP, he added, "Cruelty is the point." What People Are Saying Representative Lisa McClain, chair of the House Republican Conference, told the Associated Press: "Those Democrats saying that these rescissions will harm people in other countries are missing the point. It's about people in our country being put first." Abby Maxman, president of Oxfam America, in a statement: "We are already seeing women, children and families left without food, clean water and critical services after earlier aid cuts, and aid organizations can barely keep up with rising needs." What Happens Next The Trump administration is employing a tool rarely used in recent years that allows the president to transmit a request to Congress to cancel previously appropriated funds. That triggers a 45-day clock in which the funds are frozen pending congressional action. If Congress fails to act within that period, the spending will remain in effect.
Fox News
12-06-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Fate of Trump's $9.4 billion spending cut package hangs on House GOP moderates
The fate of President Donald Trump's $9.4 billion spending cuts request could rest on the shoulders of a handful of moderate House Republicans. The House of Representatives is set to consider the measure on Thursday afternoon, which cuts $8.3 billion in funds to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and just over $1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which routes federal funds to NPR and PBS. But at least four GOP lawmakers are known to have expressed at least some concerns about various aspects of the package. House Republican leaders have a razor-thin, three-seat majority in the chamber, which means any dissent beyond that could sink the bill. None of the four Republicans – Reps. Mark Amodei, R-Nev.; David Valadao, R-Calif.; Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y.; and Don Bacon, R-Neb. – have said how they will vote on the bill, however. They also all approved a procedural vote to allow for debate on the measure. But Amodei, co-chair of the Public Broadcasting Caucus, told Fox News Digital on Wednesday afternoon that he was not worried about NPR and PBS' national brands, with which he acknowledged the GOP's bias concerns, and that his fear was gutting funding to smaller local outlets that rely on federal funding to keep people informed in areas with less access. "These aren't the people that are doing editorial boards that are flipping you the bird," Amodei argued to his fellow Republicans. "They're kind of important pieces of infrastructure in their communities." Amodei, who is intimately familiar with the government funding process as a House appropriator, said "a whole bunch of red counties" depend on public broadcast funding. "It's easier for the nationals to raise money if they've got to make up for some funding they lost than it is these guys," he said. Valadao, who represents a California swing district, told Politico he was not sure if the measure would pass. He declined to elaborate on his concerns to Fox News Digital, however, and his office did not respond to a request for clarification. Meanwhile, Malliotakis told reporters on Wednesday that she met with Republican voters in her district who wanted PBS funding preserved – but that her real concern was the process. "I think that there's a lot of questions that members have regarding what programs specifically are going to be cut. This is a broad look at general accounts. We are, at the end of the day, the Congress that holds the power of the purse. We're the ones who we're supposed to be identifying where funding is going. And this gives a lot of discretion to the White House to be doing that unilaterally without Congress," Malliotakis said. "I think there's a large number of members that do have concerns about that. And whether members are going to vote yes or no is a different story in this place. But I have, certainly, reservations…and we'll see how things go." Bacon, one of three House Republicans representing a district that former Vice President Kamala Harris won in 2024, told reporters Tuesday morning that he was feeling better about the legislation after getting assurances that the foreign aid cuts would not gut money for critical medical research. He did not say whether his earlier concerns about PBS and NPR were alleviated, however, nor did he say how he would vote on the bill. Bacon told reporters last week, "It does bother me, because I have a great rapport with Nebraska Public Radio and TV." Fox News Digital reached out both to Bacon directly and to his office for clarification on his current stance. The $9.4 billion proposal is called a rescissions package, a mechanism for the White House to block congressionally approved funding it disagrees with. Once transmitted to Capitol Hill, lawmakers have 45 days to approve the rescissions proposal, otherwise it is considered rejected. Such measures only need a simple majority in the House and Senate to pass. But that's no easy feat with Republicans' thin majorities in both chambers. If passed, Republican leaders hope the bill will be the first of several rescissions packages codifying spending cuts identified by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk set out with a goal of finding $2 trillion in federal waste, but wound up identifying about $180 billion. House GOP leaders lauded the proposal during their weekly press conference on Tuesday. "These are commonsense cuts. And I think every member of this body should support it. It's a critical step in restoring fiscal sanity and beginning to turn the tides and removing fraud, waste, and abuse from our government," Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said.
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.'
