Department of Homeland Security spending exceeds $1.6 trillion since 2003

Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has seen its budget grow from approximately $31 billion in its first full year of operation to a requested $118 billion for 2027. Total spending since its creation in 2003 is estimated to be in the trillions of dollars.

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates spending between 2003 and 2025 at roughly $1.4 trillion in actual outlays. The DHS itself reports that Congress has appropriated about $1.6 trillion from 2003 through 2026, including discretionary funding, mandatory accounts, fees, and the disaster relief fund.

While established to prevent terrorism, much of the current DHS budget is directed toward border and immigration enforcement, customs, cybersecurity, critical infrastructure, and disaster response. Amy Pate, director of the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, noted that the agency is largely no longer a terrorism-prevention agency. In 2025, the DHS eliminated $18.5 million in grants from its Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships, citing them as wasteful.