H.Res. 1138

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1138 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1138

Recognizing the critical missions of the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency (FEMA), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency 
(CISA), and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and 
expressing concern that the systematic reduction of its career 
workforce has undermined those missions and endangered the safety and 
security of United States citizens.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

March 26, 2026

Mr. Bell (for himself and Mr. Stanton) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, 
and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, 
Energy and Commerce, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period 
to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

RESOLUTION

Recognizing the critical missions of the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency (FEMA), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency 
(CISA), and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and 
expressing concern that the systematic reduction of its career 
workforce has undermined those missions and endangered the safety and 
security of United States citizens.

Whereas FEMA, CISA, and TSA depend on a professional, nonpartisan career 
workforce to carry out the missions entrusted to them by Congress;
Whereas the career civil servants of FEMA, CISA, and TSA include cybersecurity 
analysts, disaster response coordinators, transportation security 
officers, and infrastructure protection specialists, among many others;
Whereas the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is the primary Federal 
entity responsible for supporting disaster preparedness, response, 
recovery, and mitigation on behalf of the American people, and 
coordination with Federal partners;
Whereas FEMA's workforce shrank from approximately 25,800 employees in December 
2024 to roughly 22,100 in calendar year 2025, a net loss of more than 
3,000 positions, through layoffs, buyouts, and attrition;
Whereas more than 1,400 permanent FEMA staff accepted buyout offers from the 
Department of Government Efficiency across 2 rounds, constituting a 
substantial share of the agency's permanent full-time workforce;
Whereas internal planning documents circulated in late 2025 and early 2026 
outlined a potential reduction of more than 50 percent of FEMA's total 
workforce, over 11,500 positions, including a 41 percent cut to disaster 
response staff and an 85 percent cut to surge staffing personnel;
Whereas the Government Accountability Office found that FEMA began the 2025 
hurricane season with only 12 percent of its incident management 
workforce available, a 5-year low;
Whereas, as of June 2025, numerous members of FEMA's Senior Executive Service 
positions were vacant, and the President has yet to nominate a permanent 
FEMA Administrator;
Whereas a 2023 Government Accountability Office report found FEMA was already 
facing a staffing shortfall of more than 6,000 employees, approximately 
35 percent below its target level, before the current reductions began;
Whereas the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (Public Law 
109-295) prohibits the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from making 
changes that would significantly undermine FEMA's ability to respond to 
disasters;
Whereas the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) was 
established by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act 
of 2018 (Public Law 115-278) as the Federal Government's lead civilian 
cybersecurity agency;
Whereas CISA's workforce has been reduced from more than 3,000 employees at the 
start of fiscal year 2025 to roughly 2,300 by December 2025, a loss of 
nearly 1,000 employees, or more than 29 percent of its total workforce;
Whereas the team of CISA cybersecurity advisors, field staff who connect 
companies and critical infrastructure operators with Federal resources, 
was reduced from approximately 164 employees to approximately 97;
Whereas CISA's Election Security Program was completely eliminated, 14 positions 
and approximately $39,600,000 in annual funding, ahead of the 2026 
Federal midterm elections;
Whereas, by the end of May 2025, numerous members of CISA's leadership have 
resigned or announced plans to do so;
Whereas the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employs approximately 
62,000 transportation security officers responsible for screening 
passengers, baggage, and cargo at airports across the country;
Whereas, during the 43-day Government shutdown in October and November 2025, 
more than 900 TSA officers left the agency;
Whereas, since the current partial shutdown of DHS began on February 14, 2026, 
more than 400 additional TSA officers have resigned, callout rates have 
exceeded more than 10 percent nationally and reached more than 30 
percent at some major airports, and travelers have experienced security 
wait times exceeding more than 2 hours at airports across the country;
Whereas transportation security officers have had their paychecks held up for 
nearly half of the past 170 days across multiple shutdowns, despite 
being classified as essential employees required to report to work;
Whereas the Office of Personnel Management reported approximately 322,000 total 
separations of Federal employees between January 20, 2025, and November 
2025, representing the largest reduction in the Federal civilian 
workforce since the professionalization of the civil service;
Whereas DHS's career workforce reductions were carried out without specific 
congressional authorization and, in many instances, in apparent 
contravention of appropriations enacted by Congress for fiscal year 2025 
that funded the personnel and programs being eliminated; and
Whereas Federal courts have found elements of the administration's mass 
workforce reductions to be unlawful, and the Merit Systems Protection 
Board has granted class certification to a group of former DHS employees 
challenging their terminations: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes the critical missions of the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Cybersecurity and 
Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Transportation 
Security Administration (TSA), and other offices focusing on 
cybersecurity, disaster preparedness and response, and 
transportation security;
(2) affirms that the professional, nonpartisan career 
workforce of FEMA, CISA, and TSA are essential to carrying out 
those missions and protecting the safety and security of United 
States citizens;
(3) expresses serious concern that the systematic reduction 
of personnel and resources at FEMA, CISA, and TSA has weakened 
the Federal Government's capacity to fulfill its statutory 
obligations;
(4) notes that these workforce reductions were carried out 
without specific authorization from Congress and, in many 
instances, in contravention of enacted appropriations and in 
violation of Federal employment law, as found by multiple 
Federal courts;
(5) calls on the administration to halt further reductions 
to FEMA, CISA, and TSA's career workforce that are not 
specifically authorized by Congress through the appropriations 
process;
(6) calls on the administration to transmit to the 
appropriate committees of Congress a detailed accounting of all 
workforce reductions at FEMA, CISA, and TSA since January 20, 
2025, disaggregated by component agency, office, and reduction 
mechanism;
(7) calls on the administration to immediately submit to 
the Senate the nomination of a permanent Administrator for the 
Federal Emergency Management Agency; and
(8) reaffirms that the security of the United States 
depends not only on sufficient funding of FEMA, CISA, and TSA 
but on the retention and recruitment of the skilled career 
professionals who carry out its missions every day.
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