Homeland Security Capabilities Preservation Reporting Act of 2026
Key claim: HR8874 would require FEMA to submit triennial reports to Congress on urban areas’ security capabilities at risk after UASI funding lapses, including proposals for at least three years of transitional financial assistance.
Abstract
(HR8874 · 119th Congress) Homeland Security Capabilities Preservation Reporting Act of 2026 This bill requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to submit a report to Congress every three years (current law requires only one report) regarding urban areas’ security capabilities previously supported with funding from the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) and at risk of being reduced or eliminated without additional federal assistance. FEMA’s UASI grants assist designated high-risk urban areas with developing and sustaining capabilities to prevent, prepare for, protect against, and respond to acts of terrorism. Each report must contain a proposal for FEMA to provide financial assistance for at least three consecutive years to urban areas previously receiving UASI funds to allow them to transition to other funding sources to preserve their security capabilities. Latest action (2026-06-24): Ordered to be Reported by the Yeas and Nays: 30 - 0.
Why this matters
UASI grants fund counterterrorism, emergency communications, and specialized response capabilities in high-threat metropolitan areas, and when jurisdictions lose eligibility those capabilities can atrophy without sustainment funding. Requiring FEMA to report triennially on at-risk capabilities and propose multi-year transitional assistance creates a structured congressional visibility mechanism into the fiscal cliff facing former UASI cities, though the bill itself authorizes no new spending.