WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, on Friday objected to the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) transfer notification that would move $312.5 million from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In a letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Murphy criticized the Department for purposefully spending beyond its means and highlighted the national security implications of transferring funding from CISA.

Murphy noted that the Department’s transfer authority is supposed to be used sparingly and in unforeseen circumstances, not as a way to spend money they don’t have: “I remind the Department that Congress provided transfer and reprogramming authorities in acknowledgment of unforeseeable and compelling circumstances that may arise after Congress has provided funds for the current fiscal year. The Department should not abuse this authority for avoidable reasons as is the case with this proposed notification. Since the start of this Administration, the Department has knowingly and willfully spent above its means, putting ICE on a path to becoming anti-deficient or simply, spending more funding than you are authorized to spend.”

Murphy demanded more information about the impact of transferring funding from CISA, given the role it plays in keeping the nation safe from cybersecurity threats: “Further, the Department has failed to provide my staff sufficient details on the impacts of transferring nearly $144,000,000 away from CISA operations and procurements... To that end, I reiterate my staff’s request for information on the impacts of these reductions to CISA’s capacity to mitigate threats to our national security through its cyber defense and critical infrastructure protection activities, including the impacts of proposed transfers of election security funding.”

Murphy rebuked Secretary Noem at a hearing on the Administration’s skinny budget request for her department’s ‘out of control’ spending, illegal impoundments of Congressional appropriated funds, and for targeting and deporting legal immigrants and student protesters without due process.

Full text of the letter is available HERE and below.

Dear Madam Secretary:

This letter is in response to the April 30, 2025, notification submitted to the Committee by Mr. Jeffrey Bobich, the Director of Financial Management of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to transfer a total of $312,500,000 from the fiscal year 2025 funding levels for U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—Operations and Support—Custody Operations.

I do not support the proposed transfers. Additionally, I remind the Department that Congress provided transfer and reprogramming authorities in acknowledgment of unforeseeable and compelling circumstances that may arise after Congress has provided funds for the current fiscal year. The Department should not abuse this authority for avoidable reasons as is the case with this proposed notification. Since the start of this Administration, the Department has knowingly and willfully spent above its means, putting ICE on a path to becoming anti-deficient or simply, spending more funding than you are authorized to spend. The Administration and this Department have continued to ignore funding limits set by Congress, overspending at levels that it cannot sustain and turning to other Departments, such as the Department of Defense to augment its funding.

Further, the Department has failed to provide my staff sufficient details on the impacts of transferring nearly $144,000,000 away from CISA operations and procurements. Transfer and reprogramming notices should be accompanied by adequate justifications and the Department should seek to provide rapid and sufficient responses to questions. To that end, I reiterate my staff’s request for information on the impacts of these reductions to CISA’s capacity to mitigate threats to our national security through its cyber defense and critical infrastructure protection activities, including the impacts of proposed transfers of election security funding.