The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is responsible for protecting the territory of the U.S. from terrorist attacks and responding to natural disasters.  Whereas the Department of Defense is charged with military actions abroad, the Department of Homeland Security works in the civilian sphere to protect the United States within, at, and outside its borders. Its stated goal is to prepare for, prevent, and respond to domestic emergencies, particularly terrorism.

Funding Highlights:

• Safeguards the Nation's transportation systems through additional resources to bolster critical transportation sectors and by leveraging a user fee to minimize overall costs.
• Enhances cybersecurity and technology research and development by supporting partnerships with government, industry, and academia to strengthen the Nation's cyber infrastructure and increase research and development in key homeland security technologies.
• Strengthens border security and immigration services.
• Supports State homeland security activities by increasing funding provided to States and localities to protect Americans from terrorist attacks and natural disasters, through effective emergency response plans, and improved information sharing and analysis.

Strengthens Border Security and immigration Services

The Budget funds $45 million for the expansion of an exit pilot at key land ports of entry and other border security priorities. Funding of $368 million within existing Customs and Border Protection funds support 20,000 Border Patrol agents protecting nearly 6,000 miles of U.S. borders. The Budget provides over $1.4 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement programs to ensure that illegal aliens who commit crimes are expeditiously identified and removed from the United States. Funding of $110 million is provided to continue expansion of E-Verify, an electronic employment eligibility verification system. E-Verify helps U.S. employers comply with immigration law and ensures that U.S. jobs are available to U.S. citizens and those authorized to work in the United States. The Budget also supports strengthening the delivery of immigration services by streamlining and modernizing immigration application processes.

Enhances Cybersecurity and Technology Research and development

Funding of $355 million is targeted to make private and public sector cyber infrastructure more resilient and secure. These funds will support the base operations of the National Cyber Security Division, as well as initiatives under the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative to protect our information networks. Funding of $36 million will support ongoing projects to improve surveillance technologies to detect enhanced, emerging and advanced biological threats. Efforts to develop next-generation Bio-Watch sensors will continue in order to detect bio-attacks at the earliest possible instant. The
Budget also supports the termination of outdated systems such as the terrestrial-based, long-range radionavigation (LOrAN-C) operated by the U.S. Coast Guard resulting in an offset of $36 million in 2010 and $190 million over five years.

Safeguards our Nation's Transportation Systems

The Budget funds key investments to reinforce public transportation, enhance maritime transportation, and accelerate airline security. Funding of $50 million will provide 15 new Visual Intermodal Protection response teams at the Transportation Security Administration to increase additional random force protection capability by deploying to transit hubs unannounced. Another $25 million in new resources will support integrated planning at the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Transportation to inform development and modernization of intermodal freight infrastructure linking coastal and inland ports to highway and rail networks. Additional funding supports critical investments to strengthen the security of U.S. airports and adds 55 Bomb Appraisal Officers who specialize in explosives and improvised explosive device recognition and response. The Budget also includes $64 million to modernize the infrastructure used to vet travelers and workers. These funds will strengthen screening in order to reduce the risk of potential terrorism or other unlawful activities that threaten the Nation's transportation system. To minimize overall costs to taxpayers, the Budget proposes to increase the existing Aviation Passenger Security Fee beginning in 2012. Increasing this fee will offset costs associated with Transportation Security Administration screening of aviation passengers as the current fee only captures 36 percent of the cost of aviation security. By increasing the fee, offsetting collections from all aviation security fees would cover a majority of the estimated costs of passenger and baggage screening.

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