Airport Alert: House Subcommittee Approves FY 2021 DHS/TSA/CBP Funding Bill

 
DHS Subcommittee Chairman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) noted in her opening statement that while most of the bill reflects bipartisan agreements, there are significant areas of disagreement almost entirely related to immigration and border wall funding recommendations. 
 
Ranking Member Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN) said that he could not support the bill in its current form because it has no money for the border wall and rescinds all FY 2020 wall funding. Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX), the top Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, highlighted the same concerns about the lack of funding for the border wall and reductions for immigration enforcement efforts, noting that this will make the country less safe. 
 
The coronavirus pandemic was also discussed during consideration of this funding bill. Chair Roybal-Allard thanked DHS personnel who work on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic, acknowledging that many have contracted the virus and sadly several have lost their lives to it. She noted that "we all owe them and their families our sincere gratitude."  In addition, she specifically addressed COVID-19 related funding needs in her opening statement, calling out the heightened role TSA has played during the pandemic. She stated that the Subcommittee is continuing discussions with the agency on additional requirements they may have related to the pandemic in FY 2021, noting that "they are prepared to address any additional needs later in the process based on formal requests from the administration." In regard to CBP, Roybal-Allard acknowledged the pandemic's impact on that agency's fee revenues and indicated that the Subcommittee is monitoring the need for additional funding for CBP officers in FY 2021. 
 
The subcommittee approved the bill on a party-line voice vote following a brief discussion.  Lawmakers did not consider any amendments during today's session. However, we expect members will propose a substantial number of amendments to the bill when the full House Appropriations Committee considers it next week. Once again, it appears that the DHS appropriations process will be as painful in FY 2021 as it has been for the past few years due to significant disagreements among Democrats and Republicans on border security and immigration enforcement priorities.
 
The House DHS funding bill proposes $46.4 million for the TSA law enforcement officer (LEO) reimbursement program, $90.1 million to continue agency staffing of exit lanes instead of shifting this responsibility to airports, $75 million for computed tomography (CT) screening equipment, and $55 million for credential authentication and other stand-off detection technologies.
 
For CBP, the measure includes funding to hire 850 additional CBP officers. It would also retain the overtime cap at $45,000 but would continue to permit the Secretary to waive this cap on an individual basis in the case of immigration emergencies. See our Airport Alert for additional information about the legislation.