Highlights from the President's FY17 Department of Homeland Security Budget Request

Enacted FY16 funding is used for comparisons unless otherwise noted.
The administration’s FY17 budget request for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is $40.6 billion (0.9 percent decrease) in non-disaster, net discretionary funding, excluding disaster-relief funding. The proposed budget would include $471.1 million to support the National Cybersecurity Protection System (NCPS), commonly referred to as EINSTEIN, to continue to combat intrusions, enhance information sharing, and deploy analytical capabilities to secure the Federal civilian information technology enterprise. DHS also would commit $274.8 million for the Continuous Diagnostic and Mitigation program to provide hardware, software, and services design to support activities that strengthen the operation security of federal networks.

In the president’s budget, funding for the DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) would receive $758.7 million (3.6 percent decrease) for research and development activities and would target opportunities in cybersecurity and the detection of nuclear, chemical, biological, and explosive threats. The S&T Directorate works with state and local partners to support research, development, testing, and evaluation (RDT&E) and provides technology solutions to improve mission effectiveness. Proposed funding for S&T initiatives includes:

• Laboratory Facilities — $133.9 million (6.8 percent increase);
• Research, Development and Innovation — $469.9 million (5.4 percent decrease); and,
• University Programs — $33 million (20.7 percent decrease).

S&T Directorate initiatives highlighted in the FY17 budget proposals include:

• $103.9 million for Radiological and Nuclear Detection Equipment Acquisition includes funding to procure and deploy human portable and large-scale radiation detection systems to DHS operational component end-users.
• $94.9 million for R&D on Biological and Chemical Capability for the BioWatch program including S&T funding to test and identify technology enhancements to the existing operational system.
• $64.8 million for Transformational Research and Development that would address gaps in the Global Nuclear Detection Architecture (GNDA) and Technical Nuclear Forensics (TNF).
• $60.1 million for the Apex program to support  substantial gains in cargo and passenger screening, border security, network security, flood resilience, biodetection, and emergency response;
• $18 million for the Apex Engines program to fund cross-cutting, multi-use technologies and functions to all Apex programs and to S&T needs at large;
• $20 million for Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), Non-Traditional Aviation Technologies (NTAT) and Autonomous Systems (AS) research projects that would lead to sensors and mitigation systems that will provide DHS operating Components and law enforcement with an easily deployable, efficient, and capable system to protect people and critical infrastructure while protecting our civil liberties and privacy;
• $5.8 million for the People Screening and Port of the Future project to develop technologies and solutions to prevent the illicit movement and illegal entry or exit of people, weapons, dangerous goods, and contraband, and manage the risk posed by people and goods in transit.

In addition to S&T funding to support R&D, several other entities within DHS would receive funding to support R&D activities including:

• U.S. Coast Guard via Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) Activities – $18.3 million (1.6 percent increase);
• Transportation Security Administration – $5 million (no change);
• National Protection and Programs Directorate – $4.5 million (27 percent decrease); and,
• U.S. Secret Service – 2.5 million (900 percent increase).