we continue working to get the agency fully funded so they have the resources necessary to accomplish their missions
Work to ensure the Department of Homeland Security is fully funded so it has the resources necessary to accomplish its missions.
Occurrences
He detailed a multi-step process to fund DHS, which included approving funding for the Coast Guard, FEMA, and CISA, utilizing OB3 funds for CBP and ICE, and working through reconciliation to provide additional funding for DHS.
Senator John Hoeven delivered a speech on the Senate floor emphasizing the necessity of funding DHS agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), to protect against threats from adversaries. He urged Senate Democrats to support legislation to fund DHS, highlighting bipartisan efforts to pass such legislation and offering a clean Continuing Resolution to maintain funding levels while negotiations continue.
Evidence
On March 12, 2026, Senator John Hoeven delivered a speech on the Senate floor emphasizing the necessity of funding DHS agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), to protect against threats from adversaries. He urged Senate Democrats to support legislation to fund DHS, highlighting bipartisan efforts to pass such legislation and offering a clean Continuing Resolution to maintain funding levels while negotiations continue.
On March 27, 2026, Senator Hoeven announced that the administration would pay TSA agents by reprogramming funds from the One Big Beautiful Bill (OB3). He detailed a multi-step process to fund DHS, which included approving funding for the Coast Guard, FEMA, and CISA, utilizing OB3 funds for CBP and ICE, and working through reconciliation to provide additional funding for DHS. He expressed appreciation for DHS employees who continued to work without pay during the funding lapse.
H.R. 7147, the Homeland Security and Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026, was enacted on April 30, 2026 (Public Law 119-86), providing FY2026 appropriations that end the partial lapse in funding for most Department of Homeland Security functions and appropriating funds for DHS components identified in the Act.
Office of Management and Budget memorandum M-26-13 (April 30, 2026) states that President Trump signed H.R. 7147 and instructs the Secretary of Homeland Security to take steps to resume normal operations, indicating executive/agency implementation actions to restore DHS functions after the enactment.
Assessments
Sen. Hoeven publicly advocated and took concrete steps to secure DHS funding (floor speech 3/12/2026; announced multi-step funding/reprogramming for TSA 3/27/2026), showing active effort. Congress and the President enacted H.R. 7147 on April 30, 2026, and OMB issued implementation guidance the same day, restoring appropriations and ending the partial lapse for most DHS components. Because funding was restored for most but not unequivocally shown as fully funding every DHS mission and the outcome was a collective congressional/administration action rather than solely his achievement, the claim is partially fulfilled in the same term.
Senator Hoeven actively worked to secure funding for the Department of Homeland Security by advocating on the Senate floor and supporting multi-step funding processes, including the reprogramming of funds during a funding lapse. While these actions resulted in partial funding and continued pay for TSA agents, the evidence does not demonstrate that full, uninterrupted funding for all DHS operations was achieved during the period in question. The senator showed considerable effort and leadership, but the outcome did not fully realize the promise as stated.
Senator Hoeven actively worked to secure DHS funding through advocacy, speeches, and support for multi-step funding strategies, including reprogramming funds and supporting a continuing resolution. He helped secure some funding for DHS components, particularly TSA, but the evidence only confirms partial funding achieved during the term, and not full regular funding of the entire department. His efforts were serious and multi-faceted but fell short of complete delivery.