The Department of Homeland Security will continue to support and maintain the many initiatives that it put into place in 2005 as well as continue to research and create new directives to assist in protecting the security of the nation. This year, DHS will spend more than $40 billion with $29 billion set aside for discretionary use. While efforts will be in a maintenance mode, the Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency will be in research mode, developing new technologies needed to help meet the goals of DHS.

While all of this is going on, the government continues to reel from the 2005 domestic disasters, driven by a highly active and volatile hurricane season. As the nation rebuilds hard hit areas in New Orleans as a result of Hurricane Katrina and the Gulf Coast areas hit by Hurricane Rita, line items in the DHS budget may shift to bear both the financial burdens to restore these parts of the country and the financial aid to FEMA?s related programs still facing the need to assist thousands of refugees in our own country.