In a bipartisan show of support, the House Committee on Homeland Security advanced 19 bills this week to strengthen the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s core mission.
The bills covered a range of issues but primarily refocused the Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A), modernized the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), supported border security operations and enhanced the department’s ability to respond to emerging threats.
Among the bills, the I&A Mission Reorientation Act of 2026, introduced by U.S. Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX), chair of the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence will update I&A’s statutory responsibility to define its focus, reinforce accountability, and improve operational effectiveness.
“While it’s small and often overlooked, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis carries one of the most operationally important missions of the Intelligence Community (IC). The ‘I&A Mission Reorientation Act’… refocuses its efforts on its foundational responsibility, delivering timely, actionable, and operationally relevant intelligence to the front line,” Pluger said. “Meaningful reform to this agency has been a long time coming, and I’m proud to have a bill on today’s markup that refocuses their mission where it belongs to put field personnel back into a position of being supported.”
The “Spending Aviation Fees for Equipment, Guaranteeing Upgraded and Advanced Risk Detection and Safety Act,” introduced by Dale Strong (R-AL), chair of the Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology, would prepare for the responsible end to the diversion of the 9/11 Passenger Security Fee and reinvestment of those revenues in aviation security technology.
“Every day, millions of Americans pay the 9/11 Passenger Security Fee when purchasing an airline ticket with the expectation that those dollars will be used to strengthen aviation security,” Strong said. “Unfortunately, since 2014, billions of dollars collected through that fee have been diverted away from aviation security purposes… The SAFEGUARDS Act restores the original intent of the 9/11 Passenger Security Fee by ensuring those funds are reinvested in aviation and airport security… This is a commonsense bipartisan measure that strengthens aviation security, improves transparency, and honors the commitment made to the traveling public.”
Strong also introduced the Civil Preparedness for Agroterrorism Exercise Act of 2026, which would require DHS to conduct an exercise aimed at enhancing its response, prevention and recovery efforts pertaining to agroterrorism.
“Our adversaries recognize the strategic value of targeting the systems that feed, fuel, and sustain our country. Just within the past year, multiple foreign nationals have been charged or convicted in connection with efforts to smuggle dangerous biological agents and materials from China into the United States. If successfully deployed, these agents could cause significant harm to our economy, food security, and public health,” he said. “This bill takes a commonsense step towards strengthening the security and resilience of one of our nation’s most vital critical infrastructure sectors.”
The bills now move on to the full House floor.