Pay Our Homeland Defenders Act

What it does

This bill provides appropriations to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the remainder of FY2026. It also ends the partial DHS shutdown that began on February 14, 2026, because the continuing resolution (CR) that was funding DHS expired and a regular FY2026 DHS appropriations bill had not been enacted.

Specifically, the bill provides appropriations to DHS for Departmental Management, Intelligence, Situational Awareness, and Oversight, including

• the Office of the Secretary and Executive Management;

• the Management Directorate;

• Intelligence, Analysis, and Situational Awareness; and

• the Office of Inspector General.

In addition, the bill provides appropriations for Security, Enforcement, and Investigations, including

• U.S. Customs and Border Protection,

• U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,

• the Transportation Security Administration,

• the U.S. Coast Guard, and

• the U.S. Secret Service.

The bill provides appropriations for Protection, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery, including

• the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and

• the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The bill provides appropriations for Research, Development, Training, and Services, including

• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services,

• the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers, and

• the Science and Technology Directorate.

The bill also authorizes back pay, in accordance with current law, for federal employees who were affected by the partial DHS shutdown.

Finally, the bill ratifies and approves certain obligations that were incurred during the partial DHS shutdown, including obligations incurred to maintain the essential level of activity to protect life and property and bring about an orderly termination of government functions.

Summary by the Congressional Research Service, Mar 20, 2026 (Introduced in House). CRS summarizes bills impartially; it does not take positions.