{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/homeland-security-bill-includes-major-wins-for-alaska", "Homeland Security Bill includes major wins for Alaska", "2026-04-30", "2026", "2026-04", "Republican", "Senate", "AK", "Lisa Murkowski", "M001153", "www.murkowski.senate.gov", "murkowski", "https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=1", "scraper", "Washington, DC\u2014U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) secured a wide range of Alaska priorities and policy wins in the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act. As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Murkowski worked to advance a balanced Homeland Security funding bill that prioritizes disaster response, maritime safety, border security, and robust congressional oversight, while ensuring accountability across the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).\n\nThe bill provides $90.8 billion for DHS, an increase from FY25, including funding for the Coast Guard, disaster preparedness, cybersecurity, law enforcement training, and border operations.\n\nFY26 Homeland Security Appropriations Highlights\n\nSupporting Alaska\u2019s Coast Guard and Maritime Infrastructure\n\nThe U.S. Coast Guard plays a critical role in Alaska\u2014conducting search and rescue, enforcing fisheries laws, maintaining maritime safety, and projecting U.S. presence in the Arctic. Senator Murkowski prioritized investments to modernize Coast Guard infrastructure and strengthen Arctic capabilities.\n\nKey Coast Guard investments include:\n\n\u2022 $13.9 billion for the Coast Guard overall\n\n\u2022 $30 million for acquisition of an aircraft hangar in St. Paul, Alaska\n\n\u2022 $43.5 million for the third Polar Security Cutter (PSC)\n\n\u2022 $160 million to prepare for the PSC homeport project in Seattle\n\n\u2022 $30.7 million for Coast Guard housing in Alaska, which will help support capacity for the homeporting of new icebreakers in Alaska\n\nThe accompanying report language strengthens oversight of major Coast Guard acquisitions, directs improved planning for shoreside infrastructure projects, and requires regular congressional briefings on Polar Security Cutter progress and Arctic operations.\n\nInvesting in Disaster Response and Emergency Preparedness\n\nGiven Alaska\u2019s exposure to earthquakes, floods, wildfires, and severe storms, Senator Murkowski focused on ensuring strong disaster response capacity nationwide.\n\nThe bill includes:\n\n\u2022 $26.4 billion for the Disaster Relief Fund\n\n\u2022 $48 million for the Next Generation Warning System\n\n\u2022 $324 million each for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) and SAFER programs\n\n\u2022 $337.3 million for emergency management performance grants supporting FEMA and the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program\n\n\u2022 $226 million for the National Flood Insurance Fund\n\nReport language also directs FEMA to review access to AFG and SAFER grants for rural and volunteer fire departments\u2014an important issue for Alaska\u2019s remote communities.\n\nEnhancing Northern Border Security and DHS Oversight\n\nSenator Murkowski secured extensive report language focused on Northern border security, ensuring DHS appropriately resources ports of entry and operations along the U.S.\u2013Canada border. The bill requires regular briefings to Congress on staffing, technology investments, telecommunications challenges, and any changes to port operations, and directs DHS to notify Congress before diverting significant personnel to the Southwest border.\n\nAdditional oversight provisions strengthen transparency and accountability across DHS, including:\n\n\u2022 Restrictions on reprogramming funds without committee notification\n\n\u2022 Protections for congressional access to DHS detention facilities\n\n\u2022 Prohibitions on implementing a national identification card\n\n\u2022 Buy American Act compliance requirements\n\n\u2022 Safeguards against large-scale pay or classification changes without approval\n\nPromoting Accountability in Immigration and Law Enforcement Operations\n\nThe bill includes several provisions aimed at increasing transparency and public trust in DHS enforcement activities.\n\nThese include:\n\n$20 million for body-worn cameras for ICE agents and officers, with reporting requirements for any changes to agency policy\n\nMonthly briefings to Congress on large-scale law enforcement or immigration enforcement operations\n\nReporting requirements on ICE removal decisions, removal flights, and wrongful removals\n\nDirection to ensure DHS agents and officers are clearly identifiable during domestic operations\n\nTraining requirements affirming the public\u2019s right to record DHS law enforcement activity\n\nImproving Access to Immigration Services and Workforce Reporting\n\nTo address persistent service gaps and workforce challenges\u2014particularly in non-contiguous states\u2014the bill includes targeted reporting and transparency requirements.\n\nNotable provisions include:\n\nDirection to USCIS to report on the feasibility of collecting biometrics at CBP locations in remote areas where USCIS offices are inaccessible, including Southeast Alaska\n\nA requirement for USCIS to publicly report Employment Authorization Document backlog statistics on a quarterly basis, alongside $10 million to address processing delays\n\nA DHS report on hiring and retention challenges in rural and non-contiguous states, including impacts on Alaska Native communities\n\nA report on the economic impact of the H-2B visa program and unmet workforce demand\n\nIn addition to programmatic funding to help Alaskans, Murkowski secured congressionally directed investments for four Alaska communities through FEMA\u2019s Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) program\u2014projects that were requested and prioritized by local governments and Tribal entities to reduce risk and protect lives and infrastructure:\n\nJuneau: $1.5 million for the City and Borough of Juneau to protect infrastructure from annual flooding out of Suicide Basin, a glacial lake attached Mendenhall Glacier\n\nKlukwan: $1.234 million for the Chilkat Indian Village to advance the Klukwan Landslide Protection Project, improving slope stability and safeguarding the community from landslide risks.\n\nMatanuska-Susitna Borough: $2 million for the Mat-Su Borough to complete revetment and road upgrades, strengthening flood protection and improving the resilience of essential transportation infrastructure.\n\nSaint Paul: $375,000 for the City of Saint Paul to support planning and design of salt lagoon and community pond flood mitigation improvements, helping protect critical infrastructure from coastal flooding.\n\n###", 1, "2026-05-23T06:08:46Z", "2026-05-23T06:10:20Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/homeland-security-bill-includes-major-wins-for-alaska"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.8217361066490412, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}