Airport Alert: House Committee Advances FY27 DHS/TSA/CBP Spending Bill
Very early this morning, the House Appropriations Committee approved on a party-line vote of 34-27 its version of the fiscal year 2027 spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security and its component agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The Committee considered about two dozen amendments that largely focused on immigration, border, and FEMA matters. One TSA amendment related to collective bargaining was offered by Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA) to ensure that the rights of Transportation Security Officers are not taken away. Subcommittee Chair Mark Amodei (R-NV) opposed the amendment, explaining that the TSA collective bargaining agreement remains in place due to a court injunction. The amendment failed.
As we have reported previously, the House DHS spending bill includes good news for airports with proposed funding of $97.3 million for TSA personnel to continue monitoring exit lanes at airports, $45.9 million to continue funding restored in FY26 for law enforcement officer reimbursement grants, $34.1 million to continue funding for state and local canine teams, and $287 million for aviation security technologies like computed tomography, credential authentication technologies, and e-gates at passenger checkpoints. It does not mandate that smaller airports shift from federal to private screening in 2027, as was proposed in the budget request.
Throughout the markup, there was substantial discussion about the best way to provide oversight and guardrails over immigration and Border Patrol activities, which have traditionally been done in the annual appropriations process. The bill the Committee considered and adopted included funding for these activities and statutory oversight language, even though the President signed the Secure Border Act into law on Wednesday, June 10, which included $70 billion for these same activities for the remainder of his term. That reconciliation bill, which passed the Senate on June 5 and the House of Representatives on June 9, does not provide the same level of oversight on how the money can or cannot be used.
What’s Next:
It is unclear when, or if, the House of Representatives will consider this bill on the floor, or when the Senate Appropriations Committee will begin consideration of its FY27 spending recommendations.
Links:
- Bill before the adoption of any amendments
- Full Committee Markup Summary with amendment descriptions
- Full Committee Report before adoption of any amendments
