House Appropriations Committee releases fiscal year 2019 homeland security funding bill

The fiscal year 2019 homeland security funding bill released by the U.S. House Appropriations Committee on Thursday outlines $51.4 billion in discretionary funding, $6.7 billion in major disaster relief and $5 billion for physical barriers and technology along the border.

The bill prioritizes funding for key programs and activities related to cyberterrorism, natural disaster response, human and drug trafficking, aviation security, border security and immigration enforcement, and customs.

U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said globalization, cyber threats and terrorism have changed the way of life, and changes are required in response.

“This bill fully supports our men and women on the frontline who work tirelessly to keep us safe,” Frelinghuysen said. “The bill also provides the necessary funding for critical technology and physical barriers to secure our borders. It is a balanced approach that enhances our capabilities and preparedness.”

U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder (R-KS), chairman of the Subcommittee on Homeland Security, highlighted provisions of the bill that would crack down on the $64 billion human and drug trafficking industry.

“This bill takes the largest steps in years toward finally fulfilling our promise to the American people to secure the border,” Yoder said. “We add funding for more than 200 miles of physical barrier, hundreds of new immigration and customs enforcement agents, and state of the art technology that will give our law enforcement agencies the tools they need to keep us safe. We take concrete steps to keep families together at the border, enforcing our immigration laws humanely and responsibly. This is all in addition to emergency and natural disaster relief grants, critical resources to protect our cyber networks and tools to defend against terror threats.”

The bill includes $17.8 billion in discretionary appropriations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a $3.8 billion increase over current funding levels.