Proposals will strengthen border; restore our immigration system; support efforts to detect, deter, and recover from malicious cyber attacks; and combat climate change
The Biden-Harris Administration today submitted to Congress the President’s priorities for fiscal year 2022 discretionary spending. The budget invests in key DHS missions, including repairing a broken immigration system, better managing the border with advanced technology, protecting civil rights, and bolstering cyber defenses and resilience. The discretionary request also includes investments to address the root causes of domestic terrorism, combat climate change, and increase funding for research and development.
“The President’s FY 2022 discretionary funding request will reinforce the basic missions of securing our homeland, including preventing terrorism; securing and managing our borders; repairing the broken immigration system; safeguarding critical infrastructure; and strengthening national preparedness,” said Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. “It provides the Department with targeted resources to advance commonsense policy solutions that will keep our country safe, strong, and prosperous. This includes smart investments to better manage the border, promote a humane and efficient immigration system, protect civil rights, bolster cyber defenses and resilience, and address the root causes of domestic terrorism.”
FY22 Funding Priorities:
Investing in Effective and Modern Border Management. The discretionary request provides over $1 billion for border infrastructure, which includes modernization of land ports of entry and investments in modern border security technology and assets. These investments would facilitate more robust and effective security screening to guard against human smuggling, the movement of illicit drugs and weapons, the entry of undocumented migrants, and the import of unlawful goods, as well as provide for the more efficient processing of legal trade, travel, and commerce through the Nation’s Land Ports of Entry. The discretionary request includes no additional funding for border wall construction and proposes the cancellation of prior-year balances that are unobligated at the end of 2021.
Improving Federal Cybersecurity across Government. The discretionary request provides $2.1 billion, a $110 million increase from the 2021 enacted level, for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which builds on the $650 million provided for CISA in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. This funding would allow CISA to enhance its cybersecurity tools, hire highly qualified experts, and obtain support services to protect and defend Federal information technology systems. The discretionary request also provides $20 million for a new Cyber Response and Recovery Fund.
Responding to Domestic Terrorism. The discretionary request provides a total of $131 million to support diverse, innovative, and community-driven methods to prevent domestic terrorism while respecting civil rights and liberties. This funding, which builds on the 2021 enacted level, supports critical research on the root causes of radicalization and enhanced community outreach. The discretionary request includes $20 million for grants to build local capacity to prevent targeted violence and all forms of terrorism, in addition to approximately $75 million available under the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Homeland Security Grant Program. These investments complement those that the discretionary request includes for the Department of Justice.
Confronting Climate Change and Other Disaster Challenges. The discretionary request expands DHS’s work with State and local communities to prepare for and mitigate the impacts of climate change. It invests an additional $540 million above the 2021 enacted level to incorporate climate impacts into pre-disaster planning and resilience efforts. This funding level also supports a resilient infrastructure community grant program, which prioritizes climate resilience projects for vulnerable and historically underserved communities. In addition, the discretionary request continues investments in the incident response workforce to ensure sufficient personnel are trained and available for deployment to help communities respond to and recover from future disasters. The discretionary request would also increase the number of FEMA staff equipped to support communities.
These discretionary investments reflect only one element of the President’s broader agenda. In the coming months, the Administration will release the President’s Budget, which will present a unified, comprehensive plan to address the many challenges we face in a fiscally and economically responsible way.
For more information on the President’s FY22 discretionary funding request, please visit: https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/FY-2022-Discretionary-Request.
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