Statement from Secretary Mayorkas on the President’s Fiscal Year 2025 Budget for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security

The FY 2025 Budget provides critical resources to combat terrorism, secure our borders, strengthen disaster resilience, continue investment in cybersecurity and promote the responsible use of artificial intelligence, and much more

DHS needs Congress to pass the Senate's bipartisan border security agreement, enabling DHS to hire more CBP, ICE, and USCIS personnel and provide new tools to fix our broken immigration system and help secure the border

WASHINGTON - The Biden-Harris Administration today submitted to Congress the President's Budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025, which provides $62.2 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In addition, the Budget provides $22.7 billion for the Disaster Relief Fund to respond to major disasters and emergencies, and $4.7 billion for the Southwest Border Contingency Fund to resource border security and immigration enforcement efforts along the Southwest border. When accounting for the effects of the Southwest Border Contingency Fund, the Budget request for DHS is an increase of 10 percent above FY 2023. The budget includes a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) fee proposal that, if enacted, would decrease the discretionary funding request by $1.6 billion.

However, DHS's border security and immigration enforcement efforts along the Southwest border desperately require the additional funds requested by the Administration and included in the Senate's bipartisan border security legislation, which would provide DHS with approximately $19 billion to fund additional personnel, facilities, repatriation capabilities, and other enforcement resources.

"The President's Budget, in combination with the Senate's bipartisan border security legislation, is vital to meeting the needs of our workforce and the challenges we face. The President's Budget prioritizes staying ahead of the diverse and complex threats facing the homeland and highlights our unwavering dedication to protecting the security of the American people," said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. "This budget invests in our homeland security today and lays the groundwork to protect the American people well into the future. It supports efforts to advance the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence across DHS, as well as our work to protect against malicious cyber threats to Federal networks and critical infrastructure. The President's Budget continues to invest in the security of our borders, even as we continue to call on Congress to pass the February bipartisan border security legislation to provide urgently needed resources and tools to our frontline personnel. It also includes funding to combat the trafficking of fentanyl and its precursors; protect the trade that is vital to our economic strength; build resilience to climate change and strengthen recovery from natural disasters; counter threats from the PRC and bolster our support for allies in the Indo-Pacific; and invest in the dedicated and professional workforce of the Department of Homeland Security."

At the Department of Homeland Security, the Budget will:

Advance Our Mission to Combat Terrorism. The President's Budget supports the Department's continued efforts to combat terrorism, both domestically and abroad. The FY 2025 Budget funds the DHS Special Events Program, a critical program that gathers information on more than 57,000 special events, conducts risk assessments, coordinates Departmental and federal support thereto, and ensures that relevant information sharing occurs. The FY 2025 Budget provides $25.9 billion to meet core budget requirements of critical funding to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This funding would support CBP's mission to protect the Nation from acts of terrorism and criminality with constant vigilance at and between the Nation's POEs. As the principal criminal investigative agency within the DHS, the funding would support ICE, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with overseeing its responsibility to investigate, disrupt, and dismantle terrorist networks threatening or exploiting the customs and immigration laws of the United States. The President's Budget also supports continued operational funding for the U.S. Coast Guard's Maritime Security Operations, whose mission program encompasses activities to detect, deter, prevent, and disrupt terrorist attacks, and other criminal acts in the maritime domain. It includes antiterrorism, response, and select recovery operations.

Help Secure the Border and Facilitate Lawful Trade and Immigration. The President's Budget provides critical resources to secure our border while enforcing immigration laws that safeguard Americans from national security and public safety threats and support a humane, orderly immigration system. The Budget provides $25.9 billion to meet core budget requirements of CBP and ICE. This funding provides $2.5 billion to ICE-HSI to enhance investigative capabilities to combat Transnational Criminal Organizations that engage in the smuggling of humans, narcotics including fentanyl, firearms, and money. Additionally, the Budget invests $210 million to increase staffing capacity at the Southwest border, $86 million for CBP air and marine operational support, and $127 million for modernizing border security technology such as deploying new Integrated Surveillance Towers. The Budget also provides $145 million to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to support timely processing of up to 125,000 refugee cases.

DHS reiterates previously submitted funding requests that are critical to secure the border, build immigration enforcement capacity, combat fentanyl and address domestic needs like natural disaster response, which Congress has failed to act on. Among them, the October funding request, which includes $8.7 billion for border, immigration, and counter fentanyl requirements and $9.2 billion for FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund and Nonprofit Security Grant Program. Notably, the Administration's border supplemental request includes funding to build capacity in the areas of border security, immigration enforcement, and countering fentanyl. DHS strongly supports the additional $19 billion in funding proposals included in the Senate's bipartisan border legislation that would, among other things, enable DHS to hire more CBP agents and officers, ICE enforcement and investigative personnel, and USCIS asylum officers and provide new tools to bolster the Department's efforts to secure and manage the border. 

Invest in Cybersecurity Protection and Emergency Communications. The President's Budget continues to support the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency's mission to secure cyberspace and protect against malicious threats capable of compromising and disrupting Federal networks and critical infrastructure. The Budget includes $3 billion for programs strengthening cybersecurity, infrastructure security, and emergency communications. Notably, $470 million is provided for the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program that enhances the overall security posture of federal networks and $116 million towards implementing the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act, which requires critical infrastructure entities to report cyberattacks.

Responsibly Deploy Artificial Intelligence (AI) Technology. The FY 2025 Budget includes $5 million for the Department's Chief AI Officer (CAIO). The CAIO is responsible for setting priorities and directing policies and oversight for the responsible use of AI across DHS. To support this work, last month, the Department announced its first-ever hiring sprint to recruit 50 AI technology experts in 2024. The new DHS "AI Corps" will leverage this new technology across priority missions of the homeland security enterprise including efforts to counter fentanyl, combat child sexual exploitation and abuse, secure travel, fortify our critical infrastructure, enhance our cybersecurity, and deliver immigration services.

Invest in a Disaster-Resilient Nation. The President's Budget continues to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) mission to help people before, during, and after disasters. In addition to the $22.7 billion allocated to the Disaster Relief Fund, the Budget provides $3.2 billion in FEMA grants to improve disaster resilience and preparedness strategies at the State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial government level. It also provides additional resources for community-wide climate resilience initiatives. This includes an increase of $51 million for Flood Hazard Mapping and Risk Analysis, which will further expand FEMA's inventory and leverage those maps to help communities better prepare for future conditions.

Protect the Homeland from Threats of Weapons of Mass Destruction. The President's Budget supports the mission of the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office (CWMD), which protects the country from chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats. The Budget provides $418 million to CWMD for its mission. This includes $181 million to fund programs supporting public and private sector organizations to improve technical capabilities and increase knowledge of CBRN threats.

Increase Coast Guard Presence in the Indo-Pacific Region. The Budget provides $263 million to expand Coast Guard operations in the Indo-Pacific along three primary lines of effort: increased presence, maritime governance, and meaningful engagement. This investment supports acquisition of two Fast Response Cutters and increases training and engagement with partners, enabling the Service to transition from episodic to persistent presence in the region.

Modernize TSA Pay and Workforce Policies. The President's Budget continues to improve screening and security processes and honor previous commitments to the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) workforce to pay them at a level that is commensurate to their general schedule federal counterparts. The Budget includes $1.5 billion to ensure TSA employees do not suffer a pay differential. In anticipation of an increase in aviation passenger volume in FY 2025, the Budget also provides $365 million for additional Transportation Security Officers to staff airport checkpoints and $90 million for Checkpoint Property Screening System programs to more reliably detect aviation threats.

Secure Special Events and the 2024 Presidential Campaign. The U.S. Secret Service (USSS) continuously evaluates threats and reallocates resources based on the changing threat environment. The Budget includes $70 million for Secret Service operations related to the 2024 Presidential Election to ensure the safety of major candidates, nominees, their spouses, and nominating conventions. It also provides USSS $16 million to procure necessary assets, personnel, and establish cross-agency communication centers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Finally, the Budget includes $19 million for other planned NSSEs that Secret Service is charged with protecting.

For more information on the President's FY 2025 Budget, please visit: https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/

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