Cabinet departmentMedium

Department of Homeland Security(DHS)

Cabinet department for border security, immigration services and enforcement, transportation security, cybersecurity, disaster response, Coast Guard missions, and protection of critical infrastructure.

Function

Cabinet department

Parent

Top-level (no parent)

FY2026 Budget Authority

$575.88B

Official Data

USAspending.gov

Evidence & Review

Evidence Confidence

Medium

Verification Status

AI-researched, unverified

Last Reviewed

Jul 5, 2026

Retrieved On

Jul 5, 2026

Modernization Levers

Medium

Unified immigration case status, FEMA disaster survivor accounts, cyber data-sharing platforms, screening technology lifecycle management, and auditable risk models.

Administrative Burden Review

Medium

Immigrants, travelers, disaster survivors, state/local grantees, and critical-infrastructure operators face high learning and compliance costs.

Duplication & Coordination Review

Medium

DHS overlaps with DOJ, State, DOD, DOT, HHS, and state emergency managers. Joint playbooks should define who leads before emergencies.

Risk & Guardrails

Medium

Do not automate immigration, screening, or enforcement judgments without rights-preserving review; do not trade FEMA field capacity for dashboard-only management.

Innovation Party Proposal

Research draft

Reform DHS around risk, service, and rights: one reliable status layer for people interacting with the department, faster disaster assistance, stronger cyber coordination, and independent audit of high-impact enforcement technologies.