Tracking the Funds: Specific Fiscal Year 2022 Provisions for Department of Homeland Security
Fast Facts
As part of FY22 appropriations, Members of Congress could request to designate a certain amount of federal funding for specific projects in their communities.
While agencies often have discretion over how they award funds, Congress has directed them to distribute these funds to designated recipients. We're tracking the funds to help ensure transparency.
The Department of Homeland Security's FY22 appropriations included $203.1 million for 122 of these projects.
This report looks at when DHS plans to distribute the funds and how it plans to ensure they're spent properly.
We're also tracking these funds across government and at 17 other agencies.
Department of Homeland Security: Where did the FY 2022 funding go?
Highlights
What GAO Found
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, appropriated approximately $203.1 million to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for 122 projects at the request of Members of Congress. The act includes specific provisions that designate an amount of funds for a particular recipient to use for a specific project. These provisions are called "Congressionally Directed Spending" in the U.S. Senate and "Community Project Funding" in the House of Representatives.
GAO described, among other things, information about the intended uses of these funds, the recipients to whom they were designated, and when DHS expects recipients will have access to the funds:
The intended uses of these funds are to plan for and implement sustainable, cost-effective measures to reduce risks from future natural hazards; improve emergency management and preparedness capabilities; and prevent, prepare for, protect against, and respond to terrorist attacks.
The designated recipients of these funds are mostly tribal and local governments. The remaining recipients are higher education and other nonprofit organizations. Designated recipients are located across 34 states. Funding ranged from $36,000 to almost $10 million, with most recipients receiving less than $2 million per project.
DHS plans to obligate funds by September 30, 2022 to tribal governments and state administrative agencies and the amount of time it takes the state administrative agencies to distribute these funds to designated recipients will vary by grant program.
Why GAO Did This Study
The joint explanatory statement accompanying the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 includes a provision for GAO to review agencies' implementation of Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending.
For more information, contact Chris Currie (404) 679-1875 or curriec@gao.gov.