DHS Readies for Funding Surge After “Big Beautiful Bill” Passage
The federal law enforcement community, and the federal workforce at large, is analyzing the impact of the “Big Beautiful Bill,” President Trump’s signature legislation that was signed into law on the Fourth of July.
The $3.4 trillion package includes a surge of money for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which is slated to get an additional $165 billion over the next decade, mostly for immigration efforts.
DHS previously told Congress that it plans to allocate $44 billion of the BBB money for fiscal year (FY) 2026, in addition to the $116 billion it is requesting as part of the FY 26 appropriations process.
The BBB includes $50 billion to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, $45 billion to build new immigrant detention centers, and nearly $25 billion for the Coast Guard to invest in shipbuilding, aircraft, and facilities maintenance.
On the hiring front it includes:
$4.1 billion for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to hire 5,000 customs officers and 3,000 border patrol agents over the next four years
$2 billion for retention and signing bonuses for CBP
$600 million for recruiting and hiring initiatives
$8 billion to hire 10,000 new officers at Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) through 2029
$858 million for retention and signing bonuses
$600 million for marketing and onboard programs
“Now, in some ways, the more difficult part begins, which is trying to figure out the spending plans, the acquisition planning that needs to go into this, the hiring plans,” said former DHS under secretary for management Chris Cummiskey to Federal News Network.
A key challenge for DHS will be getting workers in the door at CBP and ICE, which have struggled in recent years to meet recruiting and hiring targets.
Already DHS says it’s offering $10,000 sign-on bonuses for ICE and CBP agents.
The legislation also includes $1.1 billion for the U.S. Secret Service, $465 million to improve Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC), and $285 million for FLETC to train newly hired DHS law enforcement personnel.
Federal Worker Provisions Removed
Meanwhile, benefits and civil service provisions affecting the federal workforce were stripped from the bill.
That includes the mandatory rise in contribution rates in exchange for civil service
protections as well as a proposed filing fee to appeal a case to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). The removal came after the Senate parliamentarian said most of the federal workforce provisions violated the Byrd Rule, which aims to prevent the inclusion of provisions that are “extraneous” to the federal budget.
Now federal employee organizations, like the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) and Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA), credit member involvement with helping to eliminate those provisions.
NARFE says nearly 8,000 supporters wrote nearly 36,000 messages to members of Congress to oppose any federal benefit changes in the legislation.
“This is testament to our concerned and engaged federal community ready to defend its pay, benefits and rights,” said NARFE in an email.
Similarly, FLEOA National President Mathew Silverman wrote to thank members for their engagement on the bill, “Whether you met with members of Congress and their staff, wrote letters and emails, or made phone calls – your dedication made a real and lasting difference.”
And Silverman promised FLEOA’s continued action on other priorities.
“One key issue still under active discussion with Congress and the Administration is the exclusion of Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP) from the “No Tax on Overtime” provision. This provision aims to exempt overtime pay from federal income taxes for those earning under $160,000 – a change that may offer meaningful relief to many members,” FLEOA’s Silverman continued. “Additionally, we continue advocating for broader tax relief for those whose earnings exceed the pay cap.”
The only provision that remained in the BBB is for the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to conduct a program integrity audit for the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program as well as $100 million in funding for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to find “budget and accounting efficiencies.”