Last Thursday, the House passed legislation ending a partial government shutdown that had affected the Department of Homeland Security for the past 11 weeks. The bill, H.R. 7147, was approved by voice vote and funds most DHS agencies, including the Secret Service, Coast Guard, Transportation Security Administration, and Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Republican leadership plans to address immigration enforcement funding separately through a budget reconciliation bill. That process has cleared initial procedural hurdles through the budget resolution and would allow Congress to pass the measure with a simple majority in the Senate. Current proposals include approximately $70 billion for ICE and Border Patrol. The legislation is still being developed in committee, with Republican leadership aiming for passage in the coming weeks.
Congress also began working on Fiscal Year 2027 appropriations, early proposals for the Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) bill signal significant cuts to programs that are critical to our communities.
The House CJS Subcommittee has proposed $268 million for the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) for a reduction of more than 50% from the current $540 million. At the same time, the Administration’s budget proposes eliminating LSC entirely, providing only limited funding for closeout costs. In contrast, LSC has requested $2.1 billion to better meet the growing demand for civil legal assistance.
While overall funding for the United States Department of Justice increases, many state and local grant programs have faced cuts. This reflects a broader shift toward federal law enforcement funding and away from community-based prevention and support programs.
At the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), funding decreases are proposed across several programs, including legal assistance for survivors and transitional housing. For example, the Administration proposed $40 million for Legal Assistance to Victims, while the House CJS proposal includes $50 million still below recent enacted levels.
The House proposal will next move through full committee consideration, followed by Senate action and negotiations to finalize funding levels.
If you are interested in following the process, the House Appropriations Committee markup schedule is available here: https://appropriations.house.gov/schedule
NLADA Mutual Insurance Co., RRG
