End ICE's Fiscal Mismanagement and Adhere to Appropriated Funds

The House Committee on Appropriations has found that ICE is spending more than its appropriated level, leading to operations that now far exceed available resources. This is not an isolated incident, but rather a "disproportionate reliance on reprogramming and transfer authority to ensure solvency at the end of any given fiscal year over the past decade". This "budgetary mismanagement" by ICE is unacceptable and creates a problematic precedent. It forces the Department to shift funding away from congressional priorities within other DHS components to cover ICE's deficits, implicitly suggesting that other vital missions are less important. For example, even after receiving an additional $485,000,000 in Public Law 119–4 for increased detention, transportation, and removal operations, the Committee was informed these funds would be "inadequate to sustain ICE’s operational tempo". The Government Accountability Office (GAO) report GAO–24–106550, "Additional Steps Needed to Improve ICE’s Budget Projections and Execution," details these significant financial management issues. Demand that the administration immediately cease spending on ICE operations that exceeds appropriated levels, implement strict measures to ensure ICE operates within its budget without relying on reprogramming or transfer authority that depletes funds from other critical DHS components, and require ICE to expeditiously implement the recommendations outlined in GAO–24–106550 to improve its budget projections and execution. Ensure transparent and timely reporting on ICE's financial status and operational requirements, including monthly estimates of resource impacts, to enable proper congressional oversight. It is imperative that our taxpayer dollars are managed responsibly and allocated according to congressional intent, supporting all critical homeland security missions without internal budgetary irregularities.