Legislative Committee: Federal Update Highlights $79 Billion ICE Funding and DHS Reconciliation

Will County Board Legislative Committee Meeting | May 5, 2026

Article Summary
Federal lobbyist KP of Smith Garson provided the committee with an update on Capitol Hill maneuvering, noting that the historic Department of Homeland Security shutdown has effectively ended through a split funding strategy utilizing a budget reconciliation process for border enforcement.

Federal Legislative Update Key Points:

• The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown, which began February 14, ended after Congress funded FEMA, TSA, and other non-enforcement agencies through September 30.

• Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will receive $79 billion through 2029 via a specialized budget reconciliation process.

• The House successfully passed a $59 billion mandatory funding reauthorization of the Farm Bill.

The Will County Legislative Committee on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, received confirmation that the longest shutdown in U.S. history regarding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has effectively concluded following complex legislative maneuvering in Washington D.C.

KP, a federal lobbyist with Smith Garson, detailed the two-track process Congress utilized to navigate the partisan deadlock that had suspended DHS funding since February 14.

Late last month, the House and Senate agreed to fund all non-enforcement DHS agencies—including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)—through the end of Fiscal Year 2026 (September 30).

“FEMA, TSA, all funded, people get paid, programs move forward,” KP reported to the committee. “If the county has any kind of work that they’ve been doing with FEMA, I’m sure it’s been slowed down or stopped. You can expect that to start picking back up again.”

Because Senate Democrats refused to fully fund DHS without structural reforms to immigration agencies, Congressional Republicans and the Trump Administration moved funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) into a budget reconciliation process. This parliamentary procedure allows the majority party to pass funding with a simple 51-vote majority in the Senate, bypassing the standard 60-vote filibuster threshold.

According to the Smith Garson report, both chambers passed the required initial budget resolutions in mid-April.

“What is in that budget resolution? It is $79 billion to fund ICE and CBP through 2029,” KP explained. “I think the point to be taken away from that is it’s going to happen. So $79 billion will be provided to ICE and CBP.”

The President has requested the reconciliation process be completed by June 1, a timeline KP described as “aggressive but certainly can happen.”

In other federal action, KP noted that the House passed the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (H.R. 7567) on April 30 by a near-party line vote of 224-200. The bill includes $59 billion in mandatory funding. The Senate Agriculture Committee is now expected to begin drafting its version, though significant changes will be required to secure the 60 votes needed for Senate passage.