Amna Nawaz
@PBSNewsHour·5.3M subscribers·62.2K videos
WATCH: OMB chief Vought says Homeland Security is ‘disintegrating’ in Trump budget hearing
Posted
April 16, 2026
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April 16, 2026
1,156
70
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2:30Now PlayingRussell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, told lawmakers in a hearing Thursday that the Department of Homeland Security is “disintegrating” as it remains unfunded by Congress.
“The secretary and I are having to figure out ways to temporarily fund people's paychecks so that we don't have people quit and embark on new careers,” Vought told the Senate Budget Committee.
Congress has yet to agree on a funding package for DHS, which includes U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
“I want the American people to know there’s no money for the Department of Homeland Security because we can’t reach an agreement among ourselves,” said the committee’s chair, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. “And if you thought the Department of Homeland Security was necessary to avoid another 9/11 — the whole damn thing is shut down. So if there is another 9/11, don’t blame me,” he added.
Vought, a key figure in the Trump administration's efforts to shrink the federal workforce, also defended the president's budget request in a House hearing Wednesday.
President Donald Trump's funding wish list for fiscal year 2027 includes a staggering bump for defense spending — a nearly 50% increase to $1.5 trillion — to build his "dream military."
The president's budget request is not final, but it does signal the Trump administration's priorities for the coming fiscal year. Though Trump has tried to exert more authority over spending in his second term, it's up to both chambers to revise and approve the final budget in the coming months.
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