The Trump administration on Thursday sent to Congress an outline of its FY ’18 budget request for the Department of Homeland Security that largely prioritizes border security and immigration enforcement although it appears that funding for cyber security would also be boosted.
The $44.1 billion request, which the Office of Management and Budget describes as a “budget blueprint” pending the release later this spring of a more detailed budget proposal, doesn’t cut the Coast Guard’s budget, which is a reversal from an earlier draft.
The discretionary request represents a $2.8 billion increase, nearly 7 percent, over the FY ‘17 appropriation based on the continuing resolution that is being used to fund the federal government at FY ’16 levels. The resolution expires on April 28 and the Republican chairmen of the Senate and House Appropriations Committees on Thursday said they are still working toward completing FY ’17 appropriations bills.
President Donald Trump on Thursday also released a $3 billion amendment to supplement FY ’17 appropriations. Like the FY ’18 request, the amendment prioritizes border security and immigration enforcement, both key promises made by Trump during his campaign for president.
The FY ’18 blueprint includes $2.6 billion in investing in plans for the design and construction of a physical wall along the southern border as well as technology. That’s well above the $323.4 million that the Obama administration had requested for border security a year ago when it delivered its final budget proposal, although border security funding in that request was largely related to technology investments with some monies for maintenance of existing physical barriers and related infrastructure.
On top of the border security funds sought in FY ’18, the FY ’17 budget amendment seeks $999 million for the planning, design and construction of the first installment of the border wall, $179 million for access roads, gates and other tactical infrastructure, and $200 million for border security technology deployments.
The border security infrastructure and technology account is managed by DHS component Customs and Border Protection, which has been deploying a range of surveillance technologies along the northern and southern borders to help stem the flow of illegal migrants and drugs into the U.S. But the border security technology and infrastructure account is typically around several hundred million dollars annually, and FY ’18 request and FY ’17 supplemental represent a major splurge for the agency and likely represents the start of the largest acquisition program in its history.
Rick “Ozzie” Nelson, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Defense Daily on Thursday that the budget proposals reflect the “philosophy” of where the Trump administration is going but the “question is whether DHS can absorb the amount of funding” they would be given if Congress approves the large uptick in funding for border security and immigration enforcement, adding that “they can’t use it effectively if they’re not in a position to absorb it.” He also pointed out that CBP hasn’t done very large acquisition programs before, adding that complex procurements are difficult to manage.
The FY ’18 request $1.5 billion in new funds for expanded detention, transportation, and removal of illegal immigrants. It also includes $314 million to recruit, hire and train 500 new Border Patrol agents and 1,000 new Immigration and Customs Enforcement law enforcement personnel. Trump in an executive order directed DHS plan for eventually hiring 10,000 additional ICE agents to bolster immigration enforcement and 5,000 more Border Patrol agents to strengthen border security.
Nelson said that hiring and training the additional agents won’t be easy. He also said that companies that provide identity solutions technologies will likely see demand increase for their wares as ICE agents conducting enforcement actions that are broader than were carried out during the Obama administration will need the tools to be able to identify the individuals wanted for crimes, particularly violent offenses.
The FY ’17 budget amendment would add $1.2 billion to ICE’s budget, with almost all of that going to the detention, transportation and removal of illegal aliens, and for alternatives to detention. The agency would also receive $76 million for to build the capacity to recruit and hire 10,000 new agents and officers.
The FY ’18 request also includes $1.5 billion for safeguarding cyberspace to help DHS protect federal networks and critical infrastructure. This amount appears to be a significant increase by at least one-third over FY ’17 levels. The blueprint also says that “Through a suite of advanced cyber security tools and more assertive defense of government networks, DHS would share more cybersecurity incident information with other Federal agencies and the private sector, leading to faster responses to cybersecurity attacks directed at Federal networks and critical infrastructure.”
Earlier this month it was reported that the Coast Guard would be one of the bill payers within DHS for the ramped up border security and immigration enforcement funding. But DHS said in a statement that the FY ’18 request “sustains current funding levels for the U.S. Coast Guard, which allow for the continuation of day-to-day operations and investments in the Acquisition, Construction and Improvements account.”
While the blueprint provides scant program details and doesn’t provide even breakout overall agency topline requests, it say eliminates $667 million in local grant funding for programs administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) “that are either unauthorized by the Congress … or that must provide more measurable results and ensure the Federal Government is not supplanting other stakeholders’ responsibilities, such as the Homeland Security Grant Program.
The blueprint also cuts $80 million from the Transportation Security Administration for aviation security checkpoint screening programs that are “unauthorized and underperforming.” Included in the reductions are the Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response program, TSA grants to state and local jurisdictions, and the agency’s decision last summer to eliminate the Behavior Detection Officer program.
The request proposes an increase in the airline passenger security fee to recover 75 percent of the cost of TSA’s aviation security operations. Congress has frequently resisted proposed increases in this security fee by both the Bush and Obama administrations.