Executive Summary

• Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) Chairman Rand Paul (R-KY) and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) have released legislative text of a nearly $72 billion reconciliation package centered on immigration enforcement agencies, specifically Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
• The HSGAC portion would provide $32.5 billion of funding and the Judiciary portion $39.2 billion; the funding would be appropriated in fiscal year (FY) 2026 but would be available through the end of FY 2029.
• Notably, each committee’s proposed funding level is much lower than the $70 billion maximum set by the budget resolution.
• The House Homeland Security and Judiciary Committees have yet to release their portions of the reconciliation legislation; they have until May 15 to do so.

Introduction

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) Chairman Rand Paul (R-KY) and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) have released legislative text of their committee’s portions of the pending reconciliation legislation to provide funding for immigration enforcement agencies, specifically Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). As written, the combined Senate bill would provide $71.7 billion of funding. The HSGAC portion would appropriate $32.5 billion of funding in fiscal year (FY) 2026 to be available for use through the end of FY 2029. The Judiciary Committee portion would appropriate $39.2 billion of funding in FY 2026 to be available through the end of FY 2029. Notably, each committee’s proposed funding level is much lower – by $37.5 billion and $30.8 billion, respectively – than the maximum $70 billion committee set by the budget resolution.

The House Homeland Security and Judiciary Committees have yet to release their portions of the reconciliation legislation. They still have time; the budget resolution gives the committees until May 15 to draft their portions of the bill.

Summary of Senate Reconciliation Legislation

Sources: Senate Budget Committee, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Senate Judiciary Committee.

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee

The HSGAC portion of the reconciliation legislation would appropriate $32.5 billion of funding for immigration enforcement, which is $37.5 billion below the $70 billion maximum allowed under the budget resolution. The funding would be appropriated in FY 2026 but would be available for use through the end of FY 2029.

Of the total amount, $19.1 billion would be provided for CBP personnel. This includes funding to hire, train, and equip border patrol agents, Office of Field Operations officers, Air and Marine agents, and CBP headquarters and field support staff. Another $7.5 billion would be provided to ICE to hire, pay, and train Homeland Security Investigations agents and to fund mission support and operations and maintenance.

In addition, $3.5 billion would be provided to CBP for the procurement of new inspection equipment, new platforms for rapid air and marine response capabilities, upgraded border surveillance technologies, screening people entering and leaving the United States, initial screenings of unaccompanied alien children, combating drug trafficking, and non-immigration enforcement and customs missions’ expenses.

Finally, $2.5 billion of funding would be provided to the Department of Homeland Security to ensure adequate funding for border security across the board.

Judiciary Committee

The Judiciary Committee portion of the reconciliation legislation would appropriate $39.2 billion of funding for immigration enforcement, which is $30.8 billion below the $70 billion maximum allowed under the budget resolution. The funding would be appropriated in FY 2026 but would be available for use through the end of FY 2029.

Of the total amount, $30.7 billion would be provided for ICE to hire, train, and equip ICE personnel (officers, agents, investigators, attorneys, and support staff), to cover transportation costs associated with alien departure or removal operations, to cover information technology, facility, and fleet maintenance, and to support coordination with state and local authorities for immigration enforcement activities. Another $3.5 billion would be provided to hire, train, and equip CBP agents and support staff, and CBP operations and maintenance and mission support to carry out immigration enforcement.

In addition, $2.5 billion of funding would be provided to the Department of Homeland Security to ensure adequate funding for border security across-the-board. The Department of Justice would get $1.5 billion of funding to support the missions of the National Security Division on terrorism matters, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. attorneys, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Fraud Enforcement Division, and Executive Office for Immigration Review.

Finally, the U.S. Secret Service would receive $1 billion of funding for security adjustments and upgrades related to the White House ballroom project.