Introduction

Established in early 2003, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the "youngest" cabinet-level department of the U.S. government, and has a broad and complex mission. This report is intended to brief congressional staff on the mission, structure, staffing, and funding of DHS.

After an initial set of "snapshots" of these four parameters, this report includes a basic history of

• the establishment of DHS,
• how it has been reorganized over the years, and
• how the House and Senate are organized to oversee and legislate on its operations.

More in-depth data are then presented on component-level staffing, and department and component-level funding.

In the event that clients have particular questions about components or their missions, they can consult the table of experts provided in Appendix B.

Should congressional clients be interested in exploring the data behind these figures or require additional analyses, please contact the author.

DHS: Current Snapshot

Mission(s)

DHS Structure

An enhanced version of the public organizational chart for DHS is included as Figure 1. The chart shows the number of departmental elements that have a direct reporting relationship with the office of the Secretary, but does not provide information about the scale, missions, or roles within the department.

Headquarters components are made up of the subcomponents in three shades of blue, operational components are in dark gray (law enforcement) and red (preparedness, response, and recovery), and the Office of Inspector General is in light gray.

Figure 1. DHS Organizational Chart, March 1, 2023

Source: DHS.gov and CRS analysis.

Staffing Levels¹

Figure 2 shows the relative proportion of DHS civilian personnel to DHS servicemembers, which are made up of U.S. Coast Guard active duty and reserve personnel.

Figure 2. DHS Overall Staffing as of September 30, 2022

Source: Civilian staffing levels from U.S. Office of Personnel Management's FedScope data sets; Servicemember data from U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) email, February 2, 2023.

FY2023 Year Appropriations

• FY2023 gross total budget authority from congressional documents: $95.39 billion:²
• $1.42 billion in advance appropriations from Division J of P.L. 117-58;
• $86.47 billion in discretionary annual appropriations from Division F of P.L. 117-328;
• Offset by $5.43 billion in collections and $394 million in rescissions; and
• Including $19.95 billion in disaster relief-designated funding.
• $2.04 billion in appropriated mandatory spending from the same; and
• $5.46 billion in supplemental appropriations from Division N of P.L. 117-328.

FY2022 Appropriations and Budget

• FY2022 gross total budget authority from congressional documents: $87.08 billion:³
• $587 million in emergency-designated costs and appropriations from Divisions B and C of P.L. 117-43;⁴
• $3.08 billion in emergency appropriations from Division J of P.L. 117-58;
• $147 million in emergency appropriations from Division B of P.L. 117-70;
• $81.26 billion in discretionary annual appropriations from Division F of P.L. 117-103;
• Offset by $4.42 billion in collections and $460 million in rescissions; and
• Including $18.80 billion in disaster relief-designated funding.
• $1.96 billion in appropriated mandatory spending was provided in the same.
• FY2022 Final Combined Statement for the DHS Budget: $102.20 billion:⁵
• $88.81 billion in net appropriations and other obligational authority; and
• $13.40 billion in total offsetting receipts.

Components and Missions

The following sections describe the mission, current funding level and staffing for each component, grouped by type, and (within type) in the order they appear in DHS appropriations measures.

Law Enforcement Operational Components (DHS Appropriations Title II)

• U.S. Customs and Border Protection
• Immigration and Customs Enforcement
• Transportation Security Administration
• U.S. Coast Guard
• U.S. Secret Service

Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Operations Components (Title III)

• Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
• Federal Emergency Management Agency

USCIS and Support Components (Title IV)

• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (an operational component)
• Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
• Science and Technology Directorate
• Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office

Headquarters (Title I)

• Departmental Management and Operations
• Office of the Secretary and Executive Management
• Management Directorate (includes the Federal Protective Service)
• Office of Intelligence and Analysis
• Operations Coordination
• Office of Inspector General

Law Enforcement Operational Components

Funding for law enforcement operational components is generally provided in Title II of the DHS appropriations acts.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

CBP "is responsible for securing America's borders, coastlines, and ports of entry. CBP also protects the United States against terrorist threats and prevents the illegal entry of inadmissible persons and contraband while facilitating lawful travel, trade, and immigration."⁷

• FY2023 discretionary appropriations as of March 1, 2023: $18.34 billion (does not include $213 million in discretionary costs offset by fee collections)
• Civilian employees (as of September, 2022): 63,621
• Total budget authority provided in FY2022: $18.74 billion

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

ICE "is the principal criminal investigative agency within DHS... ICE enforces [U.S.] customs, trade and immigration laws."⁸

• FY2023 discretionary appropriations as of March 1, 2023: $8.76 billion
• Civilian employees (as of September, 2022): 20,167
• Total budget authority provided in FY2022: $8.94 billion

Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

TSA was established "to protect the nation's transportation systems and ensure the free and secure movement of people and commerce."⁹

• FY2023 discretionary appropriations as of March 1, 2023: $6.48 billion (does not include $2.84 billion in discretionary costs offset by fee collections)
• Civilian employees (as of September, 2022): 61,555
• Total budget authority provided in FY2022: $6.46 billion (does not include $2.31 billion in discretionary costs offset by fee collections)

U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)

The USCG "is the principal federal agency responsible for maritime safety, security, and environmental stewardship of U.S. ports and inland waterways."¹⁰ The USCG is a hybrid agency with law enforcement, regulatory, and first responder responsibilities. It is not only a component of DHS, but also a member of the intelligence community in its own right, as well as an element of the U.S. Armed Forces.

• FY2023 discretionary appropriations as of March 1, 2023 (including $155 million in emergency funding): $11.79 billion
• Civilian employees (as of September, 2022): 9,199
• Military personnel (as of September 30, 2022): 45,838
• Active duty servicemembers: 39,802¹¹
• Reserve status servicemembers: 6,036¹²
• Total budget authority provided in FY2022: $14.77 billion

U.S. Secret Service (USSS)

The USSS is responsible for protecting the President, the Vice-President, their families and residences, past Presidents and their spouses, national and world leaders visiting the United States, designated buildings (including the White House and Vice President's Residence), and special events of national significance. The USSS also investigates and enforces laws related to counterfeiting and certain other financial crimes.¹³

• FY2023 discretionary appropriations as of February 3, 2023: $2.82 billion
• Civilian employees (as of September, 2022): 7,778
• Total budget authority provided in FY2022: $2.88 billion

Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Operational Components

Funding for the operational components focused on incident response and recovery is generally found in Title III of the DHS appropriations act. It includes funding for FEMA, which has the largest budget of any DHS component. FEMA's appropriations are largely driven by disaster programs authorized under the Stafford Act, but the overall budget for FEMA also includes a significant amount of nonappropriated funding for the National Flood Insurance Program.

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)

Formerly known as the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD), CISA "leads the Federal Government's effort to understand, manage, and reduce risk to the Nation's cyber and physical infrastructure."¹⁴

• FY2023 discretionary appropriations as of March 1, 2023 (including $20 million in emergency funding): $2.93 billion
• Civilian employees (as of September, 2022): 2,671
• Total budget authority provided in FY2022: $2.60 billion

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

FEMA "reduces the loss of life and property and protects the nation from all hazards by leading and supporting the nation in a risk-based, comprehensive emergency management system."¹⁵

• FY2023 discretionary appropriations as of March 1, 2023 (including $6.4 billion in emergency and $19.95 billion in disaster relief funding): $31.82 billion
• Civilian employees (as of September, 2022): 22,146
• Total budget authority provided in FY2022: $36.81 billion

USCIS and Support Components

Funding for support components is generally found in Title IV of the DHS appropriations bill.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

USCIS administers federal immigration laws related to processing immigration and nonimmigrant petitions that facilitate temporary admission and permanent immigration to the United States.¹⁶ Despite being generally funded in Title IV of the DHS appropriations acts, USCIS is usually considered an operational component of DHS.

• FY2023 discretionary appropriations as of March 1, 2023: $268 million
• Civilian employees (as of September, 2022): 19,119
• Total budget authority provided in FY2022: $5.51 billion

Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC)

FLETC is "a technical training school for law enforcement professionals," designed to meet the basic and specialized training needs of approximately 118 federal agencies, as well as state and local organizations.¹⁷

• FY2023 discretionary appropriations as of March 1, 2023 (including emergency funding): $407 million
• Civilian employees (as of September, 2022): 1,306
• Total budget authority provided in FY2022: $350 million

Science and Technology Directorate (S&T)

S&T leads and coordinates research, development, testing, and evaluation work for DHS and the broader homeland security enterprise, and supports departmental acquisitions.¹⁸

• FY2023 discretionary appropriations as of March 1, 2023 (including emergency funding): $901 million
• Civilian employees (as of September, 2022): 486
• Total budget authority provided in FY2022: $1.04 billion

Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office (CWMD)

CWMD is "the single hub for the department's activities to prevent and mitigate the impacts of [Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear] threats."¹⁹ Until FY2023, it also included the Department's Chief Medical Officer, who has since been transferred to the new Office of Health Security within the Management Directorate.

• FY2023 discretionary appropriations as of March 1, 2023 (including emergency funding): $431 million
• Civilian employees (as of September, 2022): 249
• Total budget authority provided in FY2022: $452 million

Headquarters Components

Funding for headquarters components is traditionally found in Title I of the DHS appropriations act, although some initiatives have been funded in the past through general provisions in Title V of the act.

Departmental Management and Operations (DMO)

DHS headquarters is at times treated as a single entity (DMO) or as individual components or subcomponents. The two components under DMO are

Office of the Secretary and Executive Management (OSEM): OSEM provides central leadership, management, direction and oversight for all DHS components.²⁰

• FY2023 discretionary appropriations as of March 1, 2023: $385 million

Departmental Management Directorate (MGMT): MGMT provides DHS-wide mission support services.²¹

• FY2023 discretionary appropriations as of March 1, 2023: $2.07 billion (does not include $2.11 billion in Federal Protective Service costs offset by projected fees)
• FY2023 total discretionary appropriations for DMO as of March 1, 2023: $4.57 billion

Intelligence, Analysis, and Operations (IA&O)

IA&O covers two separate offices:

The Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A): integrates and shares intelligence with DHS components and stakeholders to allow them to identify, mitigate, and respond to threats; and

The Office of Operations Coordination:²² provides information sharing and situational awareness to DHS and its partners. It also helps provide the common operating picture for DHS by maintaining the National Operations Center.²³

• FY2023 discretionary appropriations for IA&O as of March 1, 2023: $316 million
• FY2023 discretionary appropriations for DMO and IA&O combined as of March 1, 2023: $2.77 billion (does not include $2.11 billion in Federal Protective Service costs offset by projected fees)
• Total budget authority for DMO and IA&O combined in FY2022: $3.44 billion (does not include $1.65 billion in Federal Protective Service costs offset by projected fees)
• Civilian employees for DMO and IA&O combined (as of September, 2022): 5,076²⁴

Office of Inspector General (OIG)

The OIG is "an independent, objective audit, inspection, and investigative body that reports to the Secretary and to Congress on DHS efficiency and effectiveness, and works to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse."²⁵

• FY2023 discretionary appropriations as of March 1, 2023 (including emergency funding): $215 million
• Civilian employees (as of September, 2022): 748
• Total budget authority provided in FY2022: $213 million

DHS History

Establishment

Prior to the 9/11 attacks, some in Congress were evaluating options to alter national security policy given the new post-Cold War strategic situation. Two commissions engaged in the evolution of national security thinking presented two alternative approaches.

In the 1999 National Defense Authorization Act, Section 1405 authorized the U.S. Congressional Advisory Panel to Assess Domestic Response Capabilities for Terrorism Involving Weapons of Mass Destruction—more commonly known as the Gilmore Commission, after its chair, then-Governor James Gilmore of Virginia.²⁶ In December 2000, its second annual report, "Toward a National Strategy for Combating Terrorism," called for the creation of a "National Office for Combating Terrorism." This office would have been headed by a Senate-confirmed director who would formulate strategy and use the budget process to help coordinate the estimated 40 parts of the federal government involved in counter-terrorism activities. The director would not have had operational control of the various elements.²⁷

Separately, in July 1998, the Secretary of Defense set up the U.S. Commission on National Security/21^st Century—more commonly known as the Hart-Rudman Commission, after its co-chairs, former Senators Gary Hart and Warren Rudman.²⁸ In January 2001, the commission's third report in a series on American security policy in the 21^st century, entitled "Roadmap for Security: An Imperative for Change," called for a number of actions to shore up American security and economic competitiveness.²⁹ These included creation of "a new National Homeland Security Agency to consolidate and refine the missions of the nearly two dozen disparate departments and agencies that have a role in U.S. homeland security today."³⁰

After 9/11, Congress legislated on a range of homeland security issues in a matter of days, including the establishment of the Transportation Security Administration. Broader shifts in the overall federal approaches to homeland security moved more slowly. This process began on September 20, 2001, when President George W. Bush announced that he would sign an executive order establishing an Office of Homeland Security, to be headed by an Assistant to the President for Homeland Security, and a Homeland Security Council, without further reorganization of existing federal activities.³¹ On October 11, 2001, three days after the president actually signed the executive order, Senators Joseph Lieberman and Arlen Specter introduced S. 1534, to establish a "Department of National Homeland Security," along the general lines of the Hart-Rudman Commission proposal.

Many observers worried that the Office of Homeland Security lacked the authority needed to overcome bureaucratic obstacles or change the way the existing executive branch agencies addressed homeland security issues.³² Even so, in the months after 9/11, the Administration publicly opposed the creation of a new department.³³ Although there wasn't a single consensus approach, legislation emerged in both the House and Senate along the general lines of the Hart-Rudman Commission proposal.³⁴

On June 6, 2002, President Bush publicly reversed the Administration's previous opposition to the establishment of a new department with the release of his draft proposal for "The Department of Homeland Security." The Administration's vision of DHS was broader and more complex than the original plans discussed by the Hart-Rudman commission or embodied in congressional proposals.

Legislative History of the Homeland Security Act (HSA)

The House ultimately passed a bill based on the Administration's plan in the span of 21 legislative days. The Senate debated the bill for almost as long, but did not obtain cloture and bring debate to a close, and moved on to other business after October 1, 2002.

After the November elections, the 107^th Congress returned for a "lame-duck" session. A new version of legislation to create the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)—H.R. 5710—was introduced in the House on November 12, 2002. Operating under a special rule that allowed no amendments, the House passed it the next day 299-121.

Representative Mac Thornberry, having proposed homeland national security reorganization efforts prior to and after 9/11, provided his perspective on the bill during debate:

Mr. Speaker, having worked on this issue for close to 2 years, I have had many doubts that it would ever come to this point; but now I believe it will happen.

This is not a perfect bill, and it is relatively easy for me and others to find fault, ways that we wish it would be different. But all of those individual differences we may have with provisions are no competition in my mind to the fact that time is slipping by. If we do not do it this week, we are at least 3 months further along, 3 months during which our enemies are plotting and planning against us, more time during which we are not as prepared as we could and should be, more months where we are not making preparations to protect ourselves.

Time is a critical factor. Just yesterday we had another threat, and whether it is bin Laden's voice or not, it is clear it is someone who intends to kill more Americans. He is very explicit in the threat. We cannot sit by and have differences over this provision or that provision keep us from acting.³⁵

Senator Fred Thompson offered the text of House-passed H.R. 5710 as an amendment to the House-passed H.R. 5005, succeeded in getting cloture, defeated attempts to alter the amendment, and amended H.R. 5005 passed the Senate on November 19, 2002. On November 22, the House agreed by unanimous consent to the amended bill, as passed by the Senate. President Bush signed into the bill into law as the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (HSA)³⁶ on November 25.

Initial DHS Organizational Challenges

Enactment of the HSA put in motion what many considered an ambitious timeline to stand up the department. The act required the establishment of the department within 60 days (the effective date of the act was January 24, 2003) and the transfer of its major operational components into DHS by March 1, 2003.

Almost 10 years later, retired Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen asserted in testimony the complications this schedule posed for the new department:

The legislation was passed between sessions of Congress, so there was no ability for the Senate to be empaneled and confirm appointees, although Secretary Ridge was done I believe a day before he was required to become the Secretary. We moved people over that had already been confirmed because we could do that. And it took up to a year to get some of the other senior leaders confirmed.

We were in the middle of a fiscal year. There was no appropriation, so in addition to the money that was moved over from the legacy organizations from the Department where they were at, some of the new entities, we had to basically reprogram funds from across government. It was a fairly chaotic time to try and stand up the organic organization of the Department and put together a headquarters. ...

[W]e had the migration of 22 agencies with legacy appropriations structures, legacy internal support structures, different shared services, and different mission support structures in the Departments where they came from. And because of that, a lot of the resources associated with how you actually run the components or need to run the Department rest in the components and still do today. And I am talking about things like human resource management, information technology (IT), property management, and so forth, the blocking and tackling of how you have to run an agency in government.³⁷

Former DHS Inspector General Richard Skinner testified: "We brought over all of the operational aspects of 22 different agencies, but we did not bring the management support functions to support those operations."³⁸

Over the life of the department, conceptual differences have remained over the role of its management. The original department proposal from the Administration envisioned minimal management, with components continuing their missions as their experience informed their actions. Others advocated a management cadre capable of coordinating department activities to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and enabling betting information flow and oversight.

Oversight

On January 7, 2003, the House established the temporary Select Committee on Homeland Security. The committee had 50 members—27 Republicans and 23 Democrats. Aside from its legislative and oversight mandates, the committee was to submit a report to the Rules Committee recommending rules changes pertaining to homeland security, including committee jurisdictions.

In February 2003, when the House Appropriations Committee organized itself, it established a new Homeland Security Subcommittee to oversee funding for the new department. The reorganization was made without consulting the Senate, which reorganized on similar lines the following month. Jim Dyer, Staff Director of the House Appropriations Committee at the time described the committee's reorganization effort as being "the tip of the spear," and indicated that they consulted extensively with the House leadership and authorizing committees about their approach to reorganizing.³⁹

Support for establishing a permanent committee in the House was bipartisan. On September 9, 2003, former Speakers of the House Tom Foley and Newt Gingrich urged House leadership that the House Homeland Security Committee be made permanent in hearing testimony.⁴⁰

The Select Committee submitted its report on September 30, 2004, which recommended establishing a permanent select committee with legislative and oversight jurisdiction over DHS and relevant homeland security missions and functions. The committee would not automatically have primary jurisdiction over homeland security-related legislation referred to multiple committees, however. Decisions over primary jurisdiction would be left up to the Speaker.⁴¹

The 9/11 Commission, when it issued its report in July 2004, released a statement outlining their recommendations. They emphasized

We need unity of effort in the Congress. Right now, authority and responsibility are too diffuse... Oversight for Homeland Security is splintered among too many Committees... We need a single committee in each chamber providing oversight of the Department of Homeland Security.⁴²

Senate Committee Reorganization

In response, the Senate assembled a 22-Senator task force, which put together a committee reform plan. The plan would have shifted jurisdiction from nine other Senate Committees to a "Homeland Security Authorization Committee"—a renamed Senate Governmental Affairs Committee.

On October 9, 2004, the Senate passed an amended version of the reorganization resolution⁴³ (S.Res. 445), which instead renamed the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, giving it jurisdiction over the management of the department and some components of four of the new department's directorates. However, some major DHS components remained in the jurisdiction of other committees, including Senate Committees on the Judiciary; Foreign Relations; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; and Finance. Media reports at the time noted "the reorganization debate amounted to a public mugging of the Governmental Affairs Committee."⁴⁴

House Committee Reorganization

On January 4, 2005, the House adopted a rules package that created a permanent Homeland Security Committee. Media observers at the time noted chairs of several powerful House committees had opposed broader jurisdiction for the new committee. Representative Curt Weldon noted that language allowing numerous committees to maintain oversight of the department had been included in the record. What Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier termed "a system of purposeful redundancy,"⁴⁵ Representative Carolyn Maloney referred to as "still a confusing mess," claiming 88 committees and subcommittees still had jurisdiction over homeland security.⁴⁶ Chairman Dreier put in the Congressional Record that day a "legislative history" regarding the changes made in Rule X, outlining their intent for oversight of the department.

Oversight and legislative jurisdiction for homeland security remains distributed among a significant number of House and Senate panels. Periodically, memorandums of understanding between the committee chairs are published in the Congressional Record at the beginning of a Congress to outline rules of engagement.

Departmental Reorganization

The HSA provided a basic structure for DHS: Five major directorates⁴⁷ and a number of agencies that reported directly to the Secretary. The HSA included two provisions to allow for reorganization of the department as the Administration saw fit: Section 1502, which provided temporary authority for the President to reorganize the department on the basis of a reorganization plan; and Section 872, which authorized the Secretary to do so after notifying Congress.⁴⁸

Section 1502

President Bush submitted his reorganization plan for DHS to Congress on November 25, 2002—the day the HSA was enacted.⁴⁹ The Administration modified the plan during the following months and submitted a final plan January 30, 2003.⁵⁰ Among other changes, the revised plan set up organizational units within the Border and Transportation Security Directorate of DHS, which are now known as U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Section 872

Section 872 of the HSA provides broad authority for the DHS Secretary to reorganize the Department's functions. The authority was used nine times before it was blocked by an appropriations rider in May 2007.⁵¹ These "reorganizations" varied significantly in scope, from some that just renamed a component⁵² or shifted a single function⁵³ to one that included large shifts of responsibilities and personnel within the DHS structure in 2005 after Secretary Chertoff's "Second Stage Review" of department functions.⁵⁴

DHS twice has exercised Section 872 authority since the rider's first inclusion, when it was set aside in whole or in part. Once in 2017 to create the Office of Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction from existing components and offices,⁵⁵ and once to transfer functions from that office to a new Office of Health Security within the Office of the Secretary in 2022.⁵⁶

Mission Evolution

Original Directive

The language of the Homeland Security Act states that the primary mission of the Department of Homeland Security has seven parts:

• 1. prevent terrorist attacks within the United States;
• 2. reduce the vulnerability of the United States to terrorism;
• 3. minimize the damage, and assist in the recovery, from terrorist attacks that do occur within the United States;
• 4. carry out all functions of entities transferred to the Department, including by acting as a focal point regarding natural and manmade crises and emergency planning;
• 5. ensure that the functions of the agencies and sub-divisions within the Department that are not related directly to securing the homeland are not diminished or neglected except by a specific explicit Act of Congress;
• 6. ensure that the overall economic security of the United States is not diminished by efforts, activities, and programs aimed at securing the homeland; and
• 7. monitor connections between illegal drug trafficking and terrorism, coordinate efforts to sever such connections, and otherwise contribute to efforts to interdict illegal drug trafficking.⁵⁷

It can be argued that a significant portion of this mission is indirectly defined. Two of the seven elements of the statutorily defined mission speak only to "carrying out" component functions or "not diminishing" functions "not directly related to securing the homeland." A third element places the onus on the fledgling department of conducting its security mission while not diminishing overall U.S. economic security.

Quadrennial Homeland Security Review Homeland Security Missions

In the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act,⁵⁸ Congress required DHS to "conduct a comprehensive review of the homeland security of the Nation" every four years. Its scope was broad:

a comprehensive examination of the homeland security strategy of the Nation, including recommendations regarding the long-term strategy and priorities of the Nation for homeland security and guidance on the programs, assets, capabilities, budget, policies, and authorities of the Department.⁵⁹

The first Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR), published in 2010, lists five homeland security missions:

• 1. Preventing Terrorism and Enhancing Security
• 2. Securing and Managing Our Borders
• 3. Enforcing and Administering Our Immigration Laws
• 4. Safeguarding and Securing Cyberspace
• 5. Ensuring Resilience to Disasters

The QHSR 2010 goes on to note a need to focus on "maturing the homeland security enterprise."⁶⁰

The second QHSR, published in 2014, "refined" those missions, "to reflect the evolving landscape of homeland security threats and hazards."⁶¹ The primary change in mission titles was the fifth mission, which shifted from "Ensuring Resilience to Disasters," to "Strengthen[ing] National Preparedness and Resilience."⁶² The narrative detailing this overarching mission noted the need for the department to improve its own efficiency and effectiveness, improve the morale of its workforce, and promote confidence in itself and the capability of the government to serve the public.⁶³

Today's Definition

These broadly defined homeland security missions laid the groundwork for the six broad mission areas DHS identifies as its own, noted at the beginning of this report:

• 1. Counter Terrorism and Homeland Security Threats
• 2. Secure U.S. Borders and Approaches
• 3. Security Cyberspace and Critical Infrastructure
• 4. Preserve and Uphold the Nation's Prosperity and Economic Security
• 5. Strengthen Preparedness and Resilience
• 6. Champion the DHS Workforce and Strengthen the Department

Two readily noticeable differences are that the sixth mission from the HSA is included in #4 as an affirmative mission area for the department; and workforce and departmental improvement is viewed as an explicit mission area on its own, rather than a consideration across or within missions in the past QHSRs.

Staffing

With more than 200,000 civilian personnel, DHS has the third-highest number of civilian employees in the federal government, behind only the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of the Army.

Figure 3 shows the end-of year staffing level for the past five fiscal years for each of the types of departmental components described at the beginning of the report.

Figure 3. Five-year DHS Civilian Staffing Trend, by Component Type

Source: CRS analysis of OPM FedScope data for Septembers 2018-2022. Notes: FEMA = Federal Emergency Management Agency; CBP = U.S. Customs and Border Protection; USCG = U.S. Coast Guard; TSA = Transportation Security Administration; ICE = U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; MGMT = Departmental Management Directorate; USSS = U.S. Secret Service; CISA = Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency; USCIS = U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; S&T = Science and Technology Directorate; CWMD = Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office; FLETC = Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers; IA&O = Intelligence, Analysis, and Operations; OSEM = Office of the Secretary and Executive Management; OIG = Office of Inspector General. Does not include USCG active duty and reserve servicemembers (39,802, and 6,036, respectively, at the end of FY2022).

Figure 4 shows the breakdown of year-end civilian staffing for DHS beginning with FY2004 in a line graph. Detail is provided for all components with more than 5,000 personnel. To show how these contribute to the total, Figure 5 presents the same data as a stacked bar graph.

The figures do not show USCG uniformed personnel, as they are not tracked in the OPM system.

Figure 4. DHS Civilian Staffing Trends, FY2004-FY2022 Fiscal year-end personnel levels as reported by OPM

Source: CRS analysis of OPM FedScope data for Septembers 2004-2022. Note: Does not include USCG active duty and reserve servicemembers (39,802, and 6,036, respectively, at the end of FY2022).

Figure 5. DHS Civilian Staffing Trends, FY2004-FY2022 Fiscal year-end personnel levels as reported by OPM

Source: CRS analysis of OPM FedScope data for Septembers 2004-2022. Note: Does not include USCG active duty and reserve servicemembers (39,802, and 6,036, respectively, at the end of FY2022).

Funding

DHS Budget and Appropriations Trends

There are several different options for tracking the funding available to a federal government agency as large and complex as the DHS. Departmental budgets are often tracked on the basis of discretionary funding made available through appropriations measures. A complete overview of the department's budget must also include an understanding of funding made available through permanent law. This mandatory spending makes up a significant portion of DHS's total budget, providing significant funding to CBP, TSA, the USCG, FEMA, and USCIS. Figure 6 shows the trend in yearly funding for DHS's total budget and appropriations since 2007.⁶⁴

Figure 6. DHS Total Budget and Appropriations, FY2007-FY2022 Nominal budget authority

Source: CRS analysis of DHS appropriations measures and year-end reporting from the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, U.S. Department of the Treasury. Notes: Net discretionary appropriations includes discretionary budget authority, including disaster relief and emergency designated budget authority provided through annual and supplemental appropriations, less offsetting collections. However, $51.2 billion in mandatory appropriations reflected in the DHS gross budget for FY2021 from P.L. 117-2 are not included in DHS net discretionary appropriations. Rescissions are not reflected. Advance appropriations are shown in the year they are made available for use.

Operational and Support Component Budgets

DHS Budget Share

DHS classifies a large number of its components as "operational"—performing homeland security missions "in the field." These include all of the law enforcement operational components listed above in "Components and Missions" (CBP, ICE, TSA, USCG, and USSS), as well as CISA, FEMA, and USCIS. The remaining components are considered "support components," or "headquarters and support." As Figure 7 shows, the vast majority of the DHS budget is consumed by operational componentsThe relative size of the support components' aggregate budget is roughly $1.6 billion higher starting in FY2020 due to the transfer of the Federal Protective Service from CISA to the Management Directorate.

Figure 7. DHS Total Budget Authority, Operational Components v. Support Components, FY2007-FY2022 Billions of nominal dollars of budget authority

Source: CRS analysis of DHS appropriations measures. Notes: Appropriations includes funding provided through annual and supplemental appropriations. $51.2 billion reflected in the DHS gross budget for FY2021 from P.L. 117-2 is not included in DHS discretionary appropriations. FY2013 data does not reflect the effect of sequestration. Advance appropriations are shown in the year they are made available for use.

Individual Component Budget Comparison

Below, Figure 8 and Figure 9 further break down the budgets of non-FEMA operational components and DHS headquarters and support components. The data source used for these figures continues to use the legacy names for both the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA, formerly known as the National Protection and Programs Directorate, or NPPD) and the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office (CWMD, formerly known as the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, or DNDO). The two figures are at different scales to allow for interpretation of the smaller elements among the support components.

In Figure 8, the fluctuation in FEMA's budget and its effect on the operational top line is shown. In Figure 9, the increase in DMO in FY2022 was due in part to the structure of additional appropriations provided through Departmental Management for crosscutting activities.

Figure 8. Total Budgets, DHS Operational Components, FY2007-FY2022 Nominal budget authority

Source: CRS analysis of year-end reporting from the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, U.S. Department of the Treasury. Notes: FEMA = Federal Emergency Management Agency; CBP = U.S. Customs and Border Protection; USCG = U.S. Coast Guard; TSA = Transportation Security Administration; ICE = U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; USSS = U.S. Secret Service; CISA = Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency; USCIS = U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Although the source documents refer to it by its original name, NPPD became CISA, and in the process transferred the Federal Protective Service to the Management Directorate starting in FY2020.

Figure 9. Total Budgets, DHS HQ and Support Components, FY2007-FY2022 Nominal budget authority

Source: CRS analysis of year-end reporting from the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, U.S. Department of the Treasury. Notes: DNDO = Domestic Nuclear Detection Office; S&T= Science and Technology Directorate; FLETC = Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers; OIG = Office of Inspector General; DMO = Departmental Management and Operations. Figures for DMO for FY2020 going forward include the Federal Protective Service (FPS). DNDO became the Office of Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) in FY2019.

Finding Longer-Term Trends

The volatility in DHS funding levels is largely due to disaster activity, especially since FY2016. This activity, and the supplemental appropriations often associated with it, can significantly alter FEMA's budget, and thus the top line of the whole department. The following two figures control for that volatility in order to reveal longer-term trends.

DHS Budget Size

Figure 10 shows the DHS operational component aggregate budget; then, with two broken lines, shows the operational components' budgets without FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund, and without FEMA entirely, as FEMA's overall budget also includes the National Flood Insurance Fund.

Figure 10. DHS Operational Component Budget, Controlled for Disaster Volatility, FY2007-FY2022 Nominal budget authority

Source: CRS analysis of year-end reporting from the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, U.S. Department of the Treasury. Notes: FEMA = Federal Emergency Management Agency; DRF = Disaster Relief Fund. Advance appropriations are shown in the year they are made available for use.

DHS Annual v. Supplemental Appropriations

Given the periodic need to respond to unexpected events, DHS often has received supplemental appropriations—those provided in addition to the baseline annual appropriation. Figure 11 shows how supplemental appropriations have contributed to total discretionary appropriations for DHS since FY2007. A marker on each stacked column shows the total appropriation provided to accounts other than the Disaster Relief Fund—the length of the bar above the marker therefore represents the total amount of funding provided for the DRF that year, but not necessarily the proportion provided in annual or supplemental appropriations.

The underlying data shows an increase in the proportion of DRF funding in the annual appropriations measure. This is due to the implementation of the "disaster relief" designation under the Budget Control Act, which allowed a certain amount of the costs of major disasters to be provided without using the "emergency" designation (more commonly used for supplemental appropriations) or competing with other discretionary priorities in the annual appropriations bills.

Figure 11. DHS Discretionary Appropriations, Annual v. Supplemental, Showing Non-Disaster Relief Total, FY2007-FY2023 Nominal dollars of discretionary budget authority

Source: CRS analysis of DHS appropriations measures. Notes: * = Reflects part-year data, through March 1, 2023. FY2013 data does not reflect sequestration. $51.2 billion in supplemental mandatory appropriations for FY2021 from P.L. 117-2 is not included. $344 million in emergency-designated costs in FY2022 related to policy changes in P.L. 117-43 are not included. Rescissions and reappropriations are not reflected. Advance appropriations are shown in the year they are made available for use.

Trends in Timing of DHS Appropriations

The trends in the timing of the DHS annual appropriations measure from its establishment through FY2023 are shown in Figure 12.

Figure 12. DHS Appropriations Process, FY2004-FY2023 As of March 1, 2023

Source: CRS analysis of presidential budget request release dates and legislative action from Congress.gov. Notes: Final action on annual appropriations for FY2011, FY2013-FY2015, FY2017-FY2019, and FY2022 did not occur until after the beginning of the new calendar year. A three-day lapse in January of FY2018 and an hours-long lapse in February of that same year are not displayed due to limitations of scale. Please note that the FY2019 lapse began in December 2018.

Appendix A. Glossary of Abbreviations

Appendix B. Experts List