Sponsors (2)
The bill keeps DHS administrative and safety functions running through funding lapses—reducing shutdown harm and costs—but does so by reducing Congressional control and fiscal transparency and risks privileging congressional communications over other services.
Federal employees, law enforcement, and the public: DHS can continue essential administrative operations during a funding lapse, preserving immigration, enforcement, and public-safety functions and avoiding immediate service interruptions.
Congressional offices and constituents: DHS will continue to respond to congressional inquiries and constituent communications during a lapse, preserving legislative oversight channels and constituent service continuity.
Taxpayers and the federal workforce: Automatic funding for essential administrative activity reduces the disruption and extra costs of emergency stopgap measures or rushed contracting during shutdowns.
Taxpayers and Congress: Allows DHS to continue operations without Congress's approval during a funding lapse, weakening legislative leverage over spending and oversight during appropriations standoffs.
Taxpayers: Broad 'such amounts as may be necessary' language could lead to increased federal outlays during a lapse and obscure fiscal accountability for DHS spending.
Taxpayers and service-seekers: Prioritizing continued responses to congressional communications may be perceived as privileging congressional relations over other public-facing services during a lapse.
Based on analysis of 1 section of legislative text.
Automatically funds whatever is necessary to keep DHS operating during any FY2026 DHS funding lapse, explicitly covering legislative and ICE congressional relations and requiring responses to congressional offices.
Introduced February 20, 2026 by Julie Johnson · Last progress February 20, 2026
Automatically provides whatever funds are needed to keep the Department of Homeland Security running during any lapse in DHS appropriations in FY2026, explicitly covering the Department’s Office of Legislative Affairs and ICE’s Office of Congressional Relations. It directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to use those funds to continue all DHS functions that would otherwise continue—specifically including responding to congressional offices—for the duration of the funding lapse.