Ranking Member Thompson: GAO Confirms DHS Breaking Federal Law by Failing to Distribute Grant Funds
(WASHINGTON) – Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, released the following statement on the U.S. Government Accountability Office issuing a determination that the Department of Homeland Security violated federal law when it withheld grant funds for states, local governments, and nonprofits:
“The Government Accountability Office decision is clear: the Trump administration is in violation of federal law for failing to distribute funds to communities that provided emergency aid for people in crisis, such as migrants and the unhoused. This is not play money that the administration can keep for itself – it’s congressionally appropriated funding that must be spent as the law requires to keep vulnerable people safe.
“The Government Accountability Office also confirmed what we’ve been saying for months: DHS disregarded legal deadlines for grant programs that assist communities in their homeland security, counterterrorism, and disaster response efforts. These delays – along with vague and nonsensical new program requirements – have left communities scrambling to apply for critical funds, forcing them to plan for disasters and defend against security threats without knowing if or when the money will come.
“DHS officials are trying to undermine homeland security grant programs that communities depend on. DHS must release these grant funds by the end of the month – further delays just harm our communities and weaken homeland security.”
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