# 119-hr-8173: Reforming ICE and Protecting America Act

119-hr-8173, Reforming ICE and Protecting America Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1] (R-PA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8173
- 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-8173
- Congress: 119
- Title: Reforming ICE and Protecting America Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-04-02
- Sponsor: Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1] (R-PA)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Economics and Public Finance
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Would fund DHS operations and impose ICE accountability reforms.** It would set detailed FY2026 spending lines across Department of Homeland Security components and add new reporting, oversight, and ICE rules such as body‑worn cameras, visible officer identifiers, standardized training, and limits on civil immigration enforcement at sensitive sites.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. Suozzi, Thomas R. [D-NY-3] (D-NY), 2026-04-02T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Federal pay fixes and protective reporting: benefit, medium. This bill would provide $140 million so the FAA could give a 3.8% pay increase for calendar year 2026 to eligible air traffic controllers if the FAA Administrator approves operational improvements. It would allow pay, allowances, and benefits to be paid and would ratify agency obligations during an…
- Allow personal drug imports from Canada: benefit, medium. If enacted, U.S. Customs and Border Protection would be barred from using funds to stop a person from bringing a personal-use prescription from Canada. The supply could be up to 90 days and must meet the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. This would not apply to controlled substances or biological produ…
- DHS emergency back-up dependent care: benefit, low. If enacted, DHS would be able to use Operations and Support funds to run an employee emergency back-up dependent care program. The bill does not set a dollar amount. This could help eligible DHS staff cover short-term childcare or dependent care needs.
- USCIS operations and biometric changes: benefit, low. This bill would stop competitions to privatize certain USCIS jobs for named officer and support roles. USCIS could acquire up to five replacement vehicles where GSA does not provide leased cars and the USCIS Director could allow eligible employees to use them for commuting. USCIS could also let sta…
- Extra $30M for Supreme Court: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would provide an extra $30,000,000 for Supreme Court salaries and expenses. The money would be available until September 30, 2028. The funds follow the same rules as similar appropriations.
- Rescind unused DHS balances: cost, medium. If enacted, the bill would cancel specified unused (unobligated) balances across multiple DHS accounts and programs. The rescissions do not apply to amounts Congress labeled as emergency funding. This reduces previously available funds for those DHS activities.
- Penalties for FEMA reporting delays: cost, low. If enacted, FEMA would lose $100,000 from a specified Operations and Support account for each day it fails to post a required Disaster Relief Fund report by the fifth business day. FEMA would also lose $100,000 per day when more than 500 reimbursement requests have been in final review over 60 days…
- Radiological emergency fees set to cover costs: cost, low. This bill would require Radiological Emergency Preparedness (REP) charges for FY2026 to equal at least 100% of DHS's estimated REP program and administrative collection costs. Those fees would be collected as offsetting receipts and placed in an REP account available starting October 1, 2026, until…
- New ICE enforcement and detention rules: mixed, medium. This bill would impose wide reforms on immigration enforcement and detention. It would require body-worn cameras for immigration officers and provide $20 million to buy and run them. Officers would have to show visible IDs, wear standard uniforms for public enforcement, and complete a five-month tr…
- Faster FEMA grants and public dashboards: mixed, medium. This bill would set strict timelines for certain FEMA grant programs. It would require those grant solicitations to be public within 60 days, give applicants 80 days to apply, and require FEMA to act within 65 days of receipt. It would cap administrative costs at 5% of the grant and set award perfo…
- Tighter DHS spending, procurement, transfers: mixed, medium. This bill would tighten how DHS spends and moves money. It would require detailed plans before DHS starts large pilots or Technology Modernization Fund projects and delay TMF obligations until Congress gets a report. DHS must notify Appropriations Committees before using Treasury forfeiture transfe…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4393: DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3001: To advance commonsense priorities.
- 119-hr-562: BLUE Pacific Act
- 119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-8173 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8173)

## Related
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-4393: DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4393)
- [119-hr-3001: To advance commonsense priorities.](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3001)
- [119-hr-562: BLUE Pacific Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-562)
- [119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2725)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8173 (as of 2026-09-10).