Newhouse Votes to Secure the Border in Homeland Security Appropriations Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04) released the following statement upon committee passage of the Fiscal Year 2026 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill. 

"Border security is national security, and today my colleagues and I on the Appropriations committee passed strong government funding legislation that reflects that belief," said Rep. Newhouse. 

Newhouse continues, "I am proud of the work we have done in securing critical investments for a secure border, fighting fentanyl as smugglers attempt to poison our communities, and boosting our cybersecurity capabilities to combat growing threats. This legislation refocuses the Department of Homeland Security on its fundamental mission: ensuring the safety of Americans and secure national borders." 

"I was also able to secure funding for the Yakima Valley Office of Emergency Management to help open a fully operational Emergency Operation Center in Yakima County. This center will deliver rapid, coordinated responses to natural disasters such as wildfires, landslides, and severe weather that impact Central Washington every year." 

The Homeland Security Appropriations Bill provides a total discretionary allocation of $66.36 billion. The defense portion of the allocation is $3.29 billion, which is $41 million (1.22%) below the Fiscal Year 2025 enacted level. The non-defense portion of the allocation is $63.08 billion, which is $1.37 billion (2.05%) above the Fiscal Year 2025 enacted level. 

The bill includes $6.3 billion in discretionary appropriations that are offset by fee collections and $26.47 billion as an allocation adjustment for major disaster response and recovery activities. 

Rep. Newhouse secured the following project funding in this legislation for Washington's Fourth Congressional District. 

Yakima Valley Office of Emergency Management 

Amount: $2,250,000 

Description: Yakima Valley Office of Emergency Management will transform an existing facility into a dedicated, fully operational 3,866 square-foot Emergency Operation Center (EOC) in Yakima County, Washington, the second-largest county in the State. Residents span 4,311 square miles and well-coordinated emergency response efforts are critical for the protection of life and property. Yakima County is vulnerable to wildfires, earthquakes, landslides, and severe weather events, all of which demand rapid and coordinated emergency response. Recent emergencies, including the Retreat fire and Rattlesnake Ridge Landslide, have demonstrated the challenges of operating with inadequate space. Emergency responders were delayed in their ability to coordinate and execute timely responses because a multipurpose training room that is shared by multiple agencies is temporarily repurposed as an ad hoc EOC, a process takes several hours to a day. These makeshift conditions will be eliminated with a dedicated EOC to serve as the central hub for coordinating emergency response efforts. The proposed EOC will provide a comprehensive range of services to support emergency management efforts, including real-time incident coordination, advanced communication systems, data analysis and situational awareness, public information dissemination, resource allocation and logistics support, training, and preparedness programs, and wildfire emergency response coordination. The establishment of a dedicated EOC in Yakima County is an urgent and necessary investment. The current reliance on repurposed spaces for emergency coordination is inefficient, costly, and unsustainable. A permanent EOC will allow emergency response coordination to begin immediately, minimize disaster impacts, and ultimately protect lives, property, and public well-being. Beyond strengthening the region’s emergency management capabilities, this investment will contribute to a safer and more resilient community for years to come.

Bill text, before adoption of amendments, is available here. 

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