Homeland Security Department: FY2012 Appropriations

William L. Painter, Coordinator
Analyst in Emergency Management and Homeland Security Policy

Jennifer E. Lake, Coordinator
Section Research Manager

This report describes the FY2012 appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Administration requested a total appropriation (mandatory and discretionary) of $45,015 million in budget authority for FY2012. This amounts to a $1,610 million, or a 3.7%, increase from the $43,405 million enacted for FY2011 through the continuing resolution (P.L. 112-10). Total budget authority, including appropriations, fee revenues, and trust funds in the Administration’s budget request for DHS for FY2012 amounts to $57,079 million as compared to $55,783 million enacted for FY2011.

Net requested appropriations for major agencies within DHS were as follows: Customs and Border Protection (CBP), $10,372 million; Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), $5,494 million; Transportation Security Administration (TSA), $5,514 million; Coast Guard, $8,677 million; Secret Service, $1,699 million; National Protection & Programs Directorate, $1,268 million; Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA), $6,789 million (later amended by a supplemental request to $11,389 million); Science and Technology, $1,176 million; and the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, $332 million.

On September 30, 2011, the President signed into law a short-term continuing resolution (CR) to continue funding for government operations through October 4, 2011, and then a second CR that ran through November 18, 2011. Both resolutions funded operations at the FY2011 rate, less 1.503% in order to accommodate the budget caps implemented by the Budget Control Act (P.L. 112-25). The resolutions included $2.65 billion to replenish the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) which had been depleted through the response to multiple significant events in FY2011. The short-term CR was passed as an amendment replacing the text of H.R. 2017, the Homeland Security Appropriations bill. This procedure interrupted the process for creating a stand-alone Homeland Security Appropriations bill to send to the President. Three other short term continuing resolutions were needed to keep the government operating until the FY2012 appropriations work was completed.

On December 23, 2011, the President signed into law P.L. 112-74, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, FY2012. Division D of the bill was designated the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2012. That same day, he signed into law P.L. 112-77, the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2012. The two Acts provide gross budget authority of $47,698 million for DHS for FY2012. Together, they provide $46,000 million in net budget authority, $39,600 in the base appropriations bill and $6,400 million in the disaster relief supplemental. Excluding the supplemental funding for disaster relief, this represents a $3,976 million decrease as compared to the President’s budget request for DHS, and a $2,066 million decrease from the level provided in FY2011 under P.L. 112-10.


Date of Report: February 21, 2012
Number of Pages: 104
Order Number: R41982
Price: $29.95

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