Alaska’s U.S. Congressman Nick Begich was among the 218 U.S. Representatives who voted in favor of H.R. 8029 – the Pay Our Homeland Defenders Act – legislation that aims to restore full funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ensure that critical national security personnel are paid.
“Americans depend on the men and women of DHS to keep our nation safe,” Congressman Begich noted on March 26. “Congress must prioritize the safety and security of the American people, and this legislation restores critical funding and ensures DHS can carry out its mission without disruption.”
The Act provides $64.4 billion in discretionary funding to support DHS operations and protect the U.S. homeland. It also includes funding for defense activities, disaster response, and key security priorities, while ensuring retroactive pay for frontline workers impacted by the six-week funding lapse.
The bill strengthens border security by supporting staffing and detention capacity for immigration enforcement and prioritizing the removal of criminal and removable aliens. It also enhances efforts to combat the flow of deadly drugs like fentanyl into American communities.
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Additionally, the legislation increases the Coast Guard’s presence in the Indo-Pacific region and provides a pay raise for Coast Guard servicemembers.
The House has repeatedly passed legislation to fund DHS, but Senate Democrats have refused to come to the table and advance these measures, prolonging uncertainty for frontline personnel and risking national security operations.
This latest bill passed with a vote of 218 to 206.
It is designed to end a partial Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown that has been dragging on since February 14.
The bill authorizes back pay for federal employees who have been working without a paycheck during the now 38-day-long political standoff. Republicans argue the bill is essential to restore funding for some 80,000 employees working in mission-critical posts. Democrats, however, have largely opposed the legislation, which is now headed to the U.S. Senate in hopes of ending the partial government shutdown.
