# 119-hr-8029: Pay Our Homeland Defenders Act 119-hr-8029, Pay Our Homeland Defenders Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Ciscomani, Juan [R-AZ-6] (R-AZ); status passed_house; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8029 - As of: 2026-09-10 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-hr-8029 - Congress: 119 - Title: Pay Our Homeland Defenders Act - Status: passed_house - Introduced: 2026-03-20 - Sponsor: Rep. Ciscomani, Juan [R-AZ-6] (R-AZ) - Cosponsors: 0 - Policy area: Economics and Public Finance - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2026-09-10 ## Summary **DHS funding** anchors this FY2026 package by setting detailed dollar levels for DHS components while adding tight acquisition rules, reporting deadlines, and program restrictions to shape how homeland security money is spent and overseen. - Disaster-affected households and communities get faster and more transparent FEMA help because grant applications and decisions must meet new deadlines, grants must run 3–5 years, and FEMA must publish an interactive reimbursement dashboard. Administrative costs for FEMA grants are capped at 5 percent. - DHS employees and contractors face new limits and reporting rules. Major pay or classification changes need 30-day congressional notice. Travel and conferences face a 50-person cap and a $500,000 total cost cap per event. - States, localities, and cyber partners gain more federal threat-sharing. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency can buy threat feeds and has about $2.2 billion for operations to support federal and nonfederal entities. ## Votes | Date | Chamber | Question | Result | Yea | Nay | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-03-26T00:00:00.000Z | house | On Motion to Recommit | Failed | 210 | 215 | | 2026-03-26T00:00:00.000Z | house | On Passage | Passed | 218 | 206 | ## Provisions PRIA read - Bring 90-day prescriptions from Canada: benefit, medium. If enacted, CBP would not use funds to stop you from carrying a personal 90‑day supply of a prescription drug from Canada. You would need to be an individual, not in the business of importing, and the drug must meet U.S. law. This would not cover controlled substances or biological products. - 3.8% raise for air traffic staff: benefit, medium. If enacted, $140 million would support a 3.8% pay increase in 2026 for air traffic controllers and some supervisors. The raise would start the first pay period after January 1, 2026, only if the FAA Administrator finds workforce scheduling or staffing efficiencies. Funds would be available through… - Stronger care and oversight in immigration detention: benefit, medium. If enacted, CBP would have to follow the November 30, 2021 care policy (or similar expert‑backed standards) for pregnant, postpartum, and nursing people and infants in custody. DHS would have to let Members of Congress enter detention facilities for oversight without prior notice and could not alte… - Airport security gear gets one-time boost: benefit, medium. If enacted for fiscal year 2026, the Aviation Security Capital Fund would be allowed to buy and install explosives detection systems. TSA could also use it for certain project agreements named in law. This authority would apply only in FY 2026. - Keep federal pay and services during gaps: benefit, medium. If enacted, agencies could use FY2026 personnel funds to make required pay and benefit payments under 31 U.S.C. 1341(c), helping keep pay flowing in funding gaps. The bill would ratify essential obligations made to protect life and property during the recent lapse tied to FY2026 funding. It would a… - No new land border crossing fees: benefit, low. The bill would ban any new per‑person fee to cross at land ports on the northern or southern border. It would also ban DHS from studying such a fee. This would cover pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, and passengers. The ban would start on enactment. - USCIS may oversee biometrics remotely: benefit, low. If you must give biometrics at a USCIS Application Support Center, staff would be able to oversee it virtually using secure technology. This could make appointments easier to staff and schedule. The change would start upon enactment. - Care and commute help for DHS staff: benefit, low. If enacted, DHS could use Operations and Support funds to provide an employee emergency back‑up care program. USCIS could also buy up to five replacement vehicles in areas without GSA leases and let assigned staff use them to commute between home and work. - More money for Supreme Court operations: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would add $30 million for Supreme Court salaries and expenses. The money would be available until September 30, 2028. - No national ID, no Guantanamo transfers: benefit, low. The bill would ban using these funds to plan, test, pilot, or develop a national ID card. It would also bar using these funds to transfer or release specified Guantanamo detainees into the United States. In addition, it would block spending to implement the Arms Trade Treaty unless the Senate ratif… - More funds for federal cybersecurity: benefit, low. If enacted, $99.75 million would be transferred from unobligated cybersecurity response and recovery funds to CISA Operations and Support. This would give CISA added resources to carry out cybersecurity work. - Law enforcement training and in-house instructors: benefit, low. FLETC could give funds to federal law enforcement agencies to cover the costs of taking part in training accreditation. A Federal Law Enforcement Training Accreditation Board would lead reviews of training quality and effectiveness. Instructor duties at FLETC would be treated as inherently governme… - Cuts to unused DHS funds: cost, high. If enacted, the bill would rescind listed unobligated balances across DHS accounts. Examples include $2.362 million from the Nonrecurring Expenses Fund, $73.327 million from Management Directorate Procurement, Construction, and Improvements, $52.349 million from CISA Operations and Support, and $19… - Limits on official perks and travel: cost, low. DHS could not send more than 50 U.S.‑based employees from one component to the same international conference unless the Secretary deems it in the national interest and notifies Congress 10 days before; the Department’s total cost for any such conference would be capped at $500,000, and virtual atte… - Faster FEMA grants and training safeguards: mixed, high. If enacted, FEMA grants under this Act would face clear timelines. Applications would open within 60 days, applicants would have 80 days to apply, and FEMA would act within 65 days. Grant periods would run at least 3 years and no more than 5 years. Administrative costs for certain grants would be c… - More ICE planning, reports, and tied funding: mixed, medium. ICE would have to file an execution plan within 90 days, a monthly obligation plan starting 30 days after enactment, and monthly updates. DHS would have to provide monthly estimates for detentions, removals, and southwest border arrivals for the current and next fiscal year, with independent checks… - Stricter DHS money moves, some flexibility: mixed, medium. DHS would face tighter reprogramming rules: no creating or ending programs, no augmenting more than $5 million or 10% without 30 days’ notice, and only up to 5% transfers with notice. New pilots costing $5 million or more or using over 10 FTEs would need written goals, measurement plans, and pre‑ob… - Buy American and limits on outsourcing: mixed, low. DHS purchases funded by this bill would have to follow Buy American rules. DHS could not contract, grant, or lend to entities named under section 1260H of the 2021 defense law or their subsidiaries. The bill would also bar A‑76 outsourcing competitions for listed USCIS jobs, keeping those roles in‑… - Coast Guard drones without weapons: mixed, low. The bill would provide $98 million to buy MQ‑9 aircraft, base stations, and related equipment for the Coast Guard, available through September 30, 2030. It would also ban DHS from buying or arming long‑range drones with weapons. This would allow surveillance capability while blocking weaponized lon… - Secret Service reports and tighter funding rules: mixed, low. The Secret Service would be allowed to obligate funds in advance of reimbursements for Rowley Training Center courses, within its year‑end budget. At least $2 million would go to the National Computer Forensics Institute as a grant or cooperative agreement. Secret Service funds could not pay to pro… ## Related bills - 119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act - 119-hr-2570: Maximum Pressure Act - 119-hr-4895: Afghan Adjustment Act - 119-hr-1229: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025 - 119-hr-2025: Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act of 2025 - 119-hr-7325: Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act of 2026 ## Sources - [119-hr-8029 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8029) ## Related - [119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9237) - [119-hr-2570: Maximum Pressure Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2570) - [119-hr-4895: Afghan Adjustment Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4895) - [119-hr-1229: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1229) - [119-hr-2025: Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2025) - [119-hr-7325: Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7325) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8029 (as of 2026-09-10).