Key takeaways:
- The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reversed a policy requiring the secretary’s personal review of all contracts over $100,000, a change expected to streamline procurement and reduce delays affecting agencies like FEMA, CBP, and ICE.
- Secretary Markwayne Mullin emphasized empowering agency components to make decisions and initiated a reevaluation of ICE’s detention facility plans, signaling broader policy shifts within DHS.
- Political negotiations continue amid a partial government shutdown, with a bipartisan plan proposed to fund most of DHS except ICE and CBP, whose funding is tied to immigration enforcement reforms, prolonging uncertainty over DHS operations and employee pay.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has reversed a contract approval policy implemented under former Secretary Kristi Noem that required the secretary’s personal review of all contracts and grants exceeding $100,000. The policy, which was rescinded by current Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Wednesday, had created significant delays in procurement processes across DHS components, including major immigration enforcement agencies such as U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The original directive, signed by Noem in June 2025, inserted the secretary’s office into thousands of procurement decisions that were previously handled at lower levels within the department. This led to a backlog of contracts, notably affecting disaster response efforts at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Congressional investigations revealed that over a thousand FEMA contracts were delayed by the policy, with an average approval time of three weeks, hindering aid distribution for events like the July 2025 Texas floods and Hurricane Helene. DHS officials indicated that contracts valued above $25 million will still require the secretary’s review, but the removal of the $100,000 threshold is expected to streamline operations and empower agency components.
Secretary Mullin emphasized the need for efficient use of taxpayer dollars and stated that the change would allow DHS components to better carry out their missions. “I’m not a micromanager,” Mullin said during his confirmation hearing earlier this month. “We put people in, we empower them to make decisions.” Since taking office, Mullin has also initiated a reevaluation of ICE’s plans to convert warehouses into detention facilities, signaling broader shifts in department policy.
Meanwhile, political developments surrounding DHS funding continue to unfold amid a partial government shutdown that has affected many DHS employees. On Wednesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, both Republicans, announced a two-track plan to fully fund DHS and end the shutdown that has caused significant disruptions, including major airport delays. Their proposal involves passing a bill to fund most of DHS except ICE and CBP, which Democrats refuse to fund without immigration enforcement reforms. Funding for these two agencies would be pursued separately through a budget reconciliation bill that can bypass a Senate filibuster.
The plan, supported by the White House, aims to reopen DHS, ensure federal workers receive pay, and secure immigration enforcement funding for three years. However, the timing for votes on the bills remains uncertain, with both chambers scheduled to be in recess until mid-April. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized Republicans for delaying a bipartisan agreement, while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries expressed readiness to support legislation ending the shutdown and restoring pay to TSA agents, FEMA personnel, and other DHS employees. The ongoing funding impasse highlights the complex negotiations over immigration policy and homeland security priorities.
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