HR 8029 · Passed House · 04-02-26
Pay Our Homeland Defenders Act
What does the Pay Our Homeland Defenders Act do?
HR 8029 is a House bill sponsored by Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ). Provides full-year fiscal year 2026 funding for the Department of Homeland Security — including Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the TSA — and, in a second division, retroactively covers a lapse in appropriations that began around February 13, 2026 and makes the pay and benefits of affected employees available, effectively reopening the government and authorizing back pay.
Did HR 8029 pass? Where it stands
As of July 17, 2026, HR 8029 has passed the House.
Status: Passed House
Latest vote: House Passed 218–206 on March 26, 2026
Outlook: Unlikely
Key provisions
- Full-Year Homeland Security Funding
- Funds Customs and Border Protection operations at $17.73B and ICE operations at $10.04B
- Funds the Transportation Security Administration at $10.64B (about $7.6B from the general fund after security fees)
- Covers the Department through the end of fiscal year 2026
- Covers a Funding Lapse and Back Pay
- Treats the period of the appropriations lapse that began around February 13, 2026 as covered by the FY2026 continuing resolution
- Makes employee pay, allowances, and benefits available for payment under the Antideficiency Act's exception
- Ratifies obligations incurred during the lapse to protect life and property
- Enforcement Funding and Controls
- Authorizes CBP to buy up to 7,500 police-type vehicles and ICE up to 3,790
- Earmarks ICE funds for forced-child-labor enforcement, intellectual-property investigations, and child-rescue apprenticeships
- Requires congressional notification before larger reprogrammings (over $5M or 10%) and most fund transfers
Last updated June 15, 2026