President Donald Trump signed into law on April 30 the permanent annual spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security, just hours after it was passed by voice vote by the House. The bill had originally passed in the Senate on March 27.
The bill includes funding the Department of Homeland Security, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The president’s signature ends the single longest funding lapse of a federal department in U.S. history, with stopgap funding for the department having previously expired on February 13.
The bill does not include funding for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), but they have been relying on previously appropriated funds and will receive permanent funding under a later bill.
Passage of the bill also effectively ratifies a number of FEMA-related requests included in the Joint Statement of Managers (JSM) that accompanied the bill when first negotiated by the House and Senate in January. Although the document is not strictly binding, given it was approved by congressional leaders prior to the consideration of H.R. 7147 and now H.R. 7147 has been approval by the House and Senate, the JSM does represent the will of Congress.
For example, the JSM states that FEMA:
• Must maintain staffing levels necessary to fulfill its missions;
• Must not “close, eliminate, or consolidate its regional offices in a manner that violates current statute;”
• Must brief Congress on the execution of the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program;
• Must report to Congress the current expected notice of funding opportunity release dates for each Federal assistance program made available in 2025 and 2026;
• Must brief Congress on the status of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program, including an explanation of BRIC grants terminated by FEMA, including the rational for terminating the grant and a cost-benefit analysis “justifying forgoing the long-term savings associated with investing in pre-disaster mitigation;”
• Must provide to Congress “current or updated written evaluation factors, thresholds, and any other written criteria used to determine eligibility requirements when making final recommendations related to emergency or disaster declarations;” and
• Must report to Congress on FEMA’s reimbursement for interest accumulated on qualifying disaster relief loans, including an explanation of how entities can apply for interest reimbursement.
