Polling Shows Public Strongly Behind Today’s Vote Against Increased DHS Funding; New FWD.us Data Shows DHS Retains $150 Billion

“Today, even as ICE and CBP continue to terrorize communities, Senate Democrats took the clear and correct approach by refusing additional funding to DHS, an agency which according to FWD.us estimates has approximately $150 billion in already appropriated funds remaining from the 2025 “OBBBA” reconciliation legislation.

“Today’s vote is also a direct result and reflection of the courage of millions of people across the country who have stood up and taken actions in defense of their neighbors.

“The Trump administration has made clear that it plans to continue its all-of-government approach to its deeply unpopular and harmful anti-immigrant agenda. Polling consistently shows these actions to be deeply unpopular. Moreover, polling shows that only 34% want any more money sent to the agency on top of the $75 billion ICE has already been appropriated. Instead, 60% of voters support redirecting that $75 billion away from ICE to to help restore cuts to Medicaid.

“Yet as our new data shows, tragically the administration has already been provided a huge funding increase to do so. Congress should move to restore Medicaid cuts; and baring that, certainly not provide more, increased funding to ICE and CBP. Today was one clear and good step in that direction.”

Today, FWD.us is releasing new estimates and analysis that show DHS retains approximately 90% of the $191 billion provided to the agency in the 2025 reconciliation legislation. Today’s new data shows that:

• The $191 billion included $75 billion for ICE, $64.75 billion for CBP, $22 billion for DHS to use as it sees fit, and some additional funding.
• This money is only starting to be spent now, supercharging an already out-of-control system with 300% to 500% annual increases to interior enforcement, putting the US immigration enforcement budget equivalent to the 6th largest military in the world.
• Based on data analysis, conversations and research, we estimate that only 8% to 10% of this unprecedented fund has been fully spent to date, leaving approximately 92% left.
• Our estimates indicate that, even excluding the funding for the Coast Guard, that approximately $150 billion remain for DHS. This means:
• In total, this is enough money to fund the entire department into the fourth quarter of 2027 — something not true of any other agency.
• Unfortunately, if ICE doubles its spending, it is funded through the end of the Trump presidency even without additional funds.
• If annual appropriations were added onto this already massive funding surge, this would provide the Trump administration the ability to spend roughly a quarter trillion dollars on immigration enforcementor roughly $7 billion a month, or over $225 million a day—for the remainder of his presidency.

Methodology: This data, a conservative estimate as of January 2026, draws on existing research on funds spent to date and conversations with staffers and officials monitoring federal spending. The administration to date has not been transparent on these spending figures. The legislation was signed into law in July, and spending only began in the fall of 2025. The most substantial spending, moreover, will come from actions—such as the massive expansion of ICE jails and detention—that have only just started. Because of this, we estimate the administration has not yet spent 10% of these funds, although the spending has begun to increase quickly in recent weeks. In order to estimate annual spending capacity, we estimate these funds will all be spent or allocated by the end of President Trump’s second term (January 2029), and use Fiscal Year 2029 within that period of time. We exclude Coast Guard funding from the estimation of remaining funds available to DHS.

New Polling Released This Week Shows

• 58% don’t want any more funding going to ICE
• When people hear that ICE has already received $75 billion, only 34% want any more money sent to the agency.
• 60% of voters support reallocating that money to Medicaid, tracking the amendment supported last week by all Democratic Senators and two Republicans.

About FWD.us: FWD.us is a policy organization working to advance better and more politically resilient solutions on criminal justice and immigration. For too long, our harmful criminal justice and immigration systems have held us back and been weaponized in ways that undermine our nation’s promise and democratic ideals. For over a decade, FWD.us has advanced criminal justice and immigration reforms that expanded freedom and opportunities to tens of millions of people in the United States. Working with partners in red, blue, and purple jurisdictions, we have secured legislative and judicial victories and executive actions despite often-challenging political conditions.