PEARL Act

Download PDF
Bill ID: 119/hr/3965
Last Updated: September 15, 2026

Sponsored by

Rep. Gonzales, Tony [R-TX-23]

ID: G000594

Follow the money

The bill

PEARL Act

HR. 3965, 119th Congress.

The sponsor

Rep. Gonzales, Tony [R-TX-23]

Every bill has someone who introduced it. That name is where the paper trail starts.

The money

$151,700 raised

29 itemised contributions to this sponsor, pulled from FEC filings.

The alignment

55% match to Project 2025

This bill's text tracks the "Department of Homeland Security" section, p. 171-173 of the Mandate for Leadership.

Bill's Journey to Becoming a Law

Track this bill's progress through the legislative process

Latest Action

Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

November 19, 2025

Introduced

Committee Review

Floor Action

Passed House

Senate Review

📍 Current Status

Next: Both chambers must agree on the same version of the bill.

🎉

Passed Congress

🖊️

Presidential Action

⚖️

Became Law

📚 How does a bill become a law?

1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.

2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.

3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.

4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.

5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.

6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.

7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!

Bill Summary

The PEARL Act. Because what the country really needs is more emotional support dogs and a healthy dose of congressional feel-goodery.

**Main Purpose & Objectives:** This bill's primary objective is to establish a pilot program within U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to adopt dogs from local animal shelters and train them as support dogs for CBP's Support Canine Program. Oh, and by "primary objective," I mean the only thing that matters here is generating positive PR for the sponsors.

**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:** The bill requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish this pilot program within 60 days of enactment, which will terminate after three years. Because, you know, that's plenty of time to train a support dog and make a meaningful impact on... whatever it is they're supposed to be supporting.

**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:** The main stakeholders here are the sponsors (Tony Gonzales et al.), who get to tout their "compassion" and "commitment to animal welfare." Local animal shelters might see some minor benefits from increased adoption rates, but let's not pretend this is about them. The real beneficiaries are the politicians who'll use this as a photo op to boost their approval ratings.

**Potential Impact & Implications:** The impact will be negligible, except for the obligatory press releases and social media posts featuring adorable puppies in CBP vests. This bill is a classic case of "legislative theater," designed to distract from actual issues while making politicians look good. It's a Band-Aid on a bullet wound, a feel-good measure that won't address any real problems.

Diagnosis: This bill suffers from a severe case of " Politician-itis" – a disease characterized by an overwhelming desire for positive publicity and a complete disregard for meaningful policy changes. The symptoms include vague language, arbitrary timelines, and a healthy dose of emotional manipulation (hello, support dogs!). Treatment involves a strong dose of skepticism and a willingness to call out the obvious PR stunt.

In short, the PEARL Act is a pointless exercise in legislative navel-gazing, designed to make politicians look good while accomplishing nothing. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have better things to do than analyze this drivel.

Related Topics

Wildlife & Endangered Species
Generated using Llama 3.1 70B (Dr. Haus personality)

💰 Campaign Finance Network

Rep. Gonzales, Tony [R-TX-23]

Congress 119 • 2024 Election Cycle

Total Contributions
$151,700
25 donors
PACs
$0
Organizations
$19,600
Committees
$0
Individuals
$132,100

No PAC contributions found

1
KICKAPOO TRADITIONAL TRIBE OF TEXAS
4 transactions
$11,600
2
TIGUA INDIAN RES.-YSLETA DEL SUR PUEBLO
2 transactions
$5,000
3
THE CHICKASAW NATION
1 transaction
$1,000
4
O'KRENT FLOORS
1 transaction
$1,000
5
ALABAMA-COUSHATTA TRIBE
1 transaction
$1,000

No committee contributions found

1
PEROT, H ROSS JR.
1 transaction
$6,700
2
POLUNSKY, ALLAN
1 transaction
$6,600
3
EMMET, RICHARD
1 transaction
$6,600
4
TRAYLOR, MARY WEST WEST
1 transaction
$6,600
5
TRAYLOR, RICHARD C.
1 transaction
$6,600
6
CUEVAS, JOSE JR
1 transaction
$6,600
7
GILLIAM, MARVIN
1 transaction
$6,600
8
FELDSTEIN, ANDREW
1 transaction
$6,600
9
FAISON, JAY
1 transaction
$6,600
10
CROTTY, THOMAS
1 transaction
$6,600
11
BOECKMANN, ALAN
1 transaction
$6,600
12
BUERGER, ALAN
1 transaction
$6,600
13
EVANS, ROGER
1 transaction
$6,600
14
MCELWEE, BRIAN
1 transaction
$6,600
15
MCLEAN, SUZZY
1 transaction
$6,600
16
RIPPEL, JOHN
1 transaction
$6,600
17
FRANK, JIM
1 transaction
$6,600
18
LUTH, MATTHEW
1 transaction
$6,600
19
LUBETZKY, DANIEL
1 transaction
$6,600
20
FITZSIMONS, JOSEPH
1 transaction
$6,600

Cosponsors & Their Campaign Finance

This bill has 10 cosponsors. Below are their top campaign contributors.

Rep. Correa, J. Luis [D-CA-46]

ID: C001110

Top Contributors

34

1
AMERICAN ISRAEL PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
COMWASHINGTON, DC
$500
Jun 14, 2024
2
SANTA YENEZ BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
OrganizationSANTA YNEZ, CA
$5,000
Aug 19, 2024
3
SAN MANUEL BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
OrganizationLOS ANGELES, CA
$3,300
Aug 13, 2024
4
AGUA CALIENTE BAND OF CAHUILLA INDIANS
OrganizationPALM SPRINGS, CA
$3,300
Dec 18, 2023
5
FEDERATED INDIANS OF GRATON RANCHERIA
OrganizationROHNERT PARK, CA
$3,300
May 25, 2023
6
FEDERATED INDIANS OF GRATON RANCHERIA
OrganizationROHNERT PARK, CA
$3,300
May 25, 2023
7
HABEMATOLEL POMO OF UPPER LAKE
OrganizationUPPER LAKE, CA
$3,300
Sep 15, 2023
8
SHINGLE SPRINGS BAND MIWOK INDIANS
OrganizationSHINGLE SPRINGS, CA
$2,000
Sep 26, 2024
9
MORONGO BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
OrganizationBANNING, CA
$2,000
Apr 22, 2024
10
MORONGO BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
OrganizationBANNING, CA
$2,000
Sep 15, 2023

Rep. McCaul, Michael T. [R-TX-10]

ID: M001157

Top Contributors

22

1
SOUTH SPUR LP
OrganizationHOUSTON, TX
$3,300
Jan 31, 2024
2
TRACEY FOX KING & WALTERS
OrganizationHOUSTON, TX
$1,000
Feb 17, 2023
3
CHILDS, JOHN W.
JW CHILDS ASSOCIATES • OWNER
IndividualVERO BEACH, FL
$50,000
Dec 12, 2023
4
LANIER, BECKY MRS.
LANIER LAW FIRM • ATTORNEY
IndividualHOUSTON, TX
$50,000
Mar 4, 2024
5
LANIER, MARK W.
LANIER LAW FIRM • ATTORNEY
IndividualHOUSTON, TX
$50,000
Mar 4, 2024
6
CHILDS, JOHN W
IndividualVERO BEACH, FL
$38,400
Mar 15, 2024
7
CHILDS, JOHN W.
JW CHILDS ASSOCIATES • OWNER
IndividualVERO BEACH, FL
$38,400
May 7, 2024
8
CHILDS, JOHN W
IndividualVERO BEACH, FL
$33,400
Nov 14, 2024
9
CARLTON, C. CRAIG MR.
C.C. CARLTON INDUSTRIES • OWNER
IndividualAUSTIN, TX
$25,000
Feb 13, 2024
10
LUROS, HILARY
RETIRED • RETIRED
IndividualSUGAR LAND, TX
$25,000
Feb 27, 2024

Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13]

ID: T000488

Top Contributors

20

1
LEVY, EDWARD C.
EDW C LEVY CO • CHAIRMAN
IndividualBIRMINGHAM, MI
$6,600
Jun 30, 2024
2
LEVY, EDWARD C.
EDW C LEVY CO • CHAIRMAN
IndividualBIRMINGHAM, MI
$6,600
Jul 1, 2024
3
LEVY, EDWARD C.
EDW C LEVY CO • CHAIRMAN
IndividualBIRMINGHAM, MI
$6,600
Jun 30, 2024
4
SARVER, ROBERT
NOT EMPLOYED • NOT EMPLOYED
IndividualPARADISE VALLEY, AZ
$6,600
Aug 5, 2024
5
PATEL, DILIP
JAMSAN HOTEL MANAGEMENT • MANAGER
IndividualLEXINGTON, MA
$3,300
Oct 27, 2024
6
SILVERSTON, CHARLES
GIBSON SIR • REAL ESTATE
IndividualCHESTNUT HILL, MA
$3,300
Oct 27, 2024
7
SINGH, GURPREET
SELF EMPLOYED • SELF EMPLOYED
IndividualHUNTS POINT, WA
$3,300
Oct 27, 2024
8
AGARWAL, AVADHESH K
N/A • RETIRED
IndividualROLLING HILLS, CA
$3,300
Aug 10, 2023
9
JADEJA, ASHA
NOT EMPLOYED • NOT EMPLOYED
IndividualPALO ALTO, CA
$3,300
Jul 13, 2023
10
RATHI, VASANT
SPECIALTY ENZYMES • OWNER
IndividualYORBA LINDA, CA
$3,300
Aug 10, 2023

Rep. Malliotakis, Nicole [R-NY-11]

ID: M000317

Top Contributors

22

1
M&T BANK
OrganizationMOUNT KISCO, NY
$118
Sep 21, 2024
2
M&T BANK
OrganizationMOUNT KISCO, NY
$101
Sep 21, 2024
3
SIDIROPOULOS, JIM MR.
DELPHI PH • CONTRACTOR
IndividualSTATEN ISLAND, NY
$5,600
Jul 23, 2024
4
BERGER, RICHARD MR.
RETIRED • RETIRED
IndividualHOBOKEN, NJ
$5,000
May 17, 2024
5
LOEB, JOHN L. MR. JR
RETIRED • RETIRED
IndividualPURCHASE, NY
$5,000
Apr 22, 2024
6
BAUMRIND, MARTIN M. MR.
SELF • LANDLORD
IndividualBROOKLYN, NY
$5,000
Sep 16, 2024
7
DUIT, JAMES A
CONTRIBUTION OF CONCEPTION LLC • EXEC
IndividualEDMOND, OK
$3,300
Nov 5, 2024
8
DUIT, PAMELA A
CONTRIBUTION OF CONCEPTION LLC • EXEC
IndividualEDMOND, OK
$3,300
Nov 5, 2024
9
LAUDER, RONALD S.
SELF EMPLOYED • BUSINESSMAN
IndividualNEW YORK, NY
$3,300
Oct 28, 2024
10
BANKE, BARBARA R. MS.
CHAIRMAN • JACKSON FAMILY WINES
IndividualGEYSERVILLE, CA
$3,300
Nov 17, 2023

Rep. Magaziner, Seth [D-RI-2]

ID: M001223

Top Contributors

27

1
FEDERATED INDIANS OF GRATON RANCHERIA
OrganizationROHNERT PARK, CA
$3,300
May 11, 2023
2
FEDERATED INDIANS OF GRATON RANCHERIA
OrganizationROHNERT PARK, CA
$3,300
May 11, 2023
3
FOREST COUNTY POTAWATOMI COMMUNITY
OrganizationCRANDON, WI
$2,500
Dec 14, 2023
4
SHAKOPEE MDEWAKANTON SIOUX COMMUNITY
OrganizationPRIOR LAKE, MN
$1,650
Jun 9, 2023
5
SHAKOPEE MDEWAKANTON SIOUX COMMUNITY
OrganizationPRIOR LAKE, MN
$1,650
Apr 30, 2024
6
THE CHICKASAW NATION
OrganizationADA, OK
$1,000
Jun 6, 2023
7
POARCH BANK OF CREEK INDIANS
OrganizationATMORE, AL
$1,000
Mar 21, 2024
8
SIPPRELLE, SUSAN M.
SELF-EMPLOYED • FILMMAKER
IndividualMIDDLETOWN, RI
$3,300
Nov 19, 2023
9
LAVINE, JONATHAN
BAIN CAPITAL • INVESTOR
IndividualBOSTON, MA
$3,300
Dec 20, 2023
10
LAVINE, JONATHAN
BAIN CAPITAL • INVESTOR
IndividualBOSTON, MA
$3,300
Dec 20, 2023

Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1]

ID: F000466

Top Contributors

22

1
SANTA YNEZ BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
OrganizationSANTA YNEZ, CA
$1,500
Dec 31, 2024
2
STATA FAMILY OFFICE
Organization
$500
Apr 26, 2024
3
ASHER, ROBERT B.
IndividualGWYNEDD VALLEY, PA
$10,000
Oct 9, 2024
4
ASHER, ROBERT B.
ASHER CHOCOLATES • CHAIRMAN
IndividualGWYNEDD VALLEY, PA
$10,000
Sep 30, 2024
5
LEVY, EDWARD JR
EDW C LEVY CO • CHAIRMAN
IndividualBIRMINGHAM, MI
$6,600
Feb 26, 2024
6
CROTTY, THOMAS
RETIRED • RETIRED
IndividualSCOTTSDALE, AZ
$6,600
Feb 27, 2024
7
EVANS, ROGER
GREYLOCK PARTNERS • PARTNER EMERITUS
IndividualSAN FRANCISCO, CA
$6,600
Feb 27, 2024
8
LEACH, RONALD
NPX ONE • CHAIRMAN & CEO
IndividualGENEVA, IL
$6,600
Feb 28, 2024
9
MCCLAIN, MARK
SAILPOINT • CEO
IndividualAUSTIN, TX
$6,600
Mar 2, 2024
10
CROTTY, THOMAS
IndividualSCOTTSDALE, AZ
$6,600
Mar 8, 2024

Rep. Moskowitz, Jared [D-FL-23]

ID: M001217

Top Contributors

26

1
SEMINOLE TRIBE OF FLORIDA
OrganizationHOLLYWOOD, FL
$3,300
Aug 28, 2023
2
SEMINOLE TRIBE OF FLORIDA
OrganizationHOLLYWOOD, FL
$3,300
Aug 20, 2024
3
ANDREWS LAW FIRM
OrganizationTALLAHASSEE, FL
$1,000
Mar 5, 2024
4
ANDREWS LAW FIRM
OrganizationTALLAHASSEE, FL
$1,000
Mar 5, 2024
5
POARCH BAND OF CREEK INDIANS
OrganizationATMORE, AL
$1,000
Jun 17, 2024
6
POARCH BAND OF CREEK INDIANS
OrganizationATMORE, AL
$1,000
Sep 25, 2023
7
ZAFFIRINI, CARLOS
AHCV • CEO
IndividualAUSTIN, TX
$6,600
Feb 2, 2024
8
ZAFFIRINI, CARLOS
IndividualAUSTIN, TX
$6,600
Feb 12, 2024
9
BOGDAN, MICHAEL
TESTING MATTERS INC • SELF
IndividualDEERFIELD BEACH, FL
$3,300
Dec 26, 2023
10
BOGDAN, MICHAEL
TESTING MATTERS INC • SELF
IndividualDEERFIELD BEACH, FL
$3,300
Dec 26, 2023

Rep. Stauber, Pete [R-MN-8]

ID: S001212

Top Contributors

26

1
DEMOCRACY ENGINE INC
PACWASHINGTON, DC
$500
Jun 6, 2023
2
SHAKOPEE MDEWAKANTON SIOUX COMMUITY
OrganizationPRIOR LAKE, MN
$3,300
Jun 30, 2024
3
LEECH LAKE - PAC
OrganizationCASS LAKE, MN
$3,300
Dec 12, 2024
4
SHAKOPEE MDEWAKANTON SIOUX COMMUITY
OrganizationPRIOR LAKE, MN
$3,300
Nov 13, 2023
5
GOOGLE
OrganizationMOUNTAIN VIEW, CA
$1,000
Feb 21, 2023
6
CHAIN BRIDGE BANK
OrganizationMCLEAN, VA
$25
Dec 6, 2023
7
ZOTTO, CARLA DEL
IndividualGLADEWATER, TX
$10,000
Aug 27, 2024
8
ANDERSON, ROLLIS
ANDERSON TRUCKING SERVICE INC. • CEO
IndividualSAINT CLOUD, MN
$9,900
Feb 8, 2024
9
FAISON, JAY
CLEARPATH • FOUNDER
IndividualCHARLOTTE, NC
$6,600
Jun 30, 2024
10
NYSTROM, BRIAN AND MARY ANN
NYSTROM & ASSOCIATES • PRESIDENT & CEO
IndividualANDOVER, MN
$6,600
Sep 27, 2024

Rep. Davis, Donald G. [D-NC-1]

ID: D000230

Top Contributors

26

1
FEDERATED INDIANS OF GRATON RANCHERIA
OrganizationROHNERT PARK, CA
$3,300
Mar 5, 2024
2
TUNICA-BILOXI TRIBE OF LA
OrganizationMARKSVILLE, LA
$2,000
Dec 31, 2023
3
SHAKOPEE MDEWAKANTON SIOUX COMMUNITY
OrganizationPRIOR LAKE, MN
$1,650
Jun 6, 2023
4
SHAKOPEE MDEWAKANTON SIOUX COMMUNITY
OrganizationPRIOR LAKE, MN
$1,650
May 13, 2024
5
BARONA BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
OrganizationLAKESIDE, CA
$1,500
May 31, 2023
6
CHEROKEE NATION
OrganizationTAHLEQUAH, OK
$1,000
Dec 28, 2023
7
FISHER, DEBORAH
NOT EMPLOYED • NOT EMPLOYED
IndividualCOEUR D ALENE, ID
$4,000
Jul 29, 2024
8
BLOOM, BRADLEY
BERKSHIRE PARTNERS LLC • INVESTMENTS
IndividualWELLESLEY, MA
$3,300
Oct 31, 2024
9
BRAUFMAN, JILL
NOT EMPLOYED • RETIRED
IndividualSURFSIDE, FL
$3,300
Oct 18, 2024
10
CLAPP, STEPHEN
SELF EMPLOYED • RANCHER
IndividualSEQUIM, WA
$3,300
Oct 30, 2024

Rep. De La Cruz, Monica [R-TX-15]

ID: D000594

Top Contributors

23

1
CHOCTAW NATION OF OKLAHOMA
OrganizationDURANT, OK
$3,300
Aug 29, 2024
2
THE CHICKASAW NATION
OrganizationADA, OK
$3,300
Aug 29, 2024
3
ALABAMA- COUSHATTA TRIBE
OrganizationLIVINGSTON, TX
$1,000
Oct 16, 2024
4
ADKINS, JAMES
RETIRED • RETIRED
IndividualHUNTINGTON, WV
$6,600
Oct 24, 2024
5
MOUSSEAU, RAYMOND
RETIRED • RETIRED
IndividualCROSWELL, MI
$6,600
Jun 2, 2024
6
DILAMANI, EDWARD
AGC • BUSINESSMAN
IndividualGREAT NECK, NY
$6,600
Jul 8, 2024
7
EMIG, SUELLEN
RETIRED • RETIRED
IndividualFREEDOM, PA
$6,600
Sep 29, 2024
8
STEWART, FORREST
RETIRED • RETIRED
IndividualDESOTO, IL
$6,534
Feb 13, 2024
9
SPECHT, VIVIAN
RETIRED • RETIRED
IndividualLYMAN, NE
$5,940
Aug 7, 2024
10
CERDA, JULIO
S TEXAS INFRASTRUCTURE GROUP • PARTNER
IndividualMISSION, TX
$5,000
Oct 25, 2024

Donor Network - Rep. Gonzales, Tony [R-TX-23]

PACs
Organizations
Individuals
Politicians

Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.

Loading...

Showing 63 nodes and 70 connections

Total contributions: $70

Top Donors - Rep. Gonzales, Tony [R-TX-23]

Showing top 25 donors by contribution amount

5 Orgs20 Individuals

Project 2025 Policy Matches

This bill shows semantic similarity to the following sections of the Project 2025 policy document.AI-enhanced analysis provides detailed alignment ratings.

Department of Homeland Security

Weak
Vector: 57%
Pages: 171-173AI Enhanced

AI Analysis:

"The PEARL Act focuses on establishing a shelter‑dog support program for CBP personnel’s emotional well‑being, while the Project 2025 DHS section emphasizes border‑security efficiency, data transparency, operational reorganizations, and resource allocations. Both involve CBP, but their objectives and policy levers do not substantially overlap."

Key themes:CBPborder securitypersonnel well‑being

— 139 — Department of Homeland Security also simultaneously add efficiencies to our nation’s capacity to facilitate lawful trade and travel. The BSIA should establish clear mission requirements, responsibilities, and mandates under existing law regarding the persistent need for and utilization of U.S. military personnel and resources to assist BSIA with increasing whole-of-gov- ernment efforts and long-term strategy to secure our nation’s borders effectively. In addition, appropriate elements within the newly created BSIA should be desig- nated as part of the U.S. National Security and Intelligence Community. A conservative Administration should eliminate any prohibitive guidance, direction, or mandate from DHS or the Administration that curtails or limits CBP from publishing detailed border security and enforcement data not impacting intelligence, interdiction, and investigative operations, methods, or sources. DHS should issue a regulation mandating that CBP publish accurate and timely border security data, readily available to the public, on a regular basis that avoid White House and DHS leadership review and approval. The White House should grant the authority for CBP and DHS executives to utilize component aviation assets under the Office of Air and Marine (OAM). CBP and DHS have worldwide missions with personnel and facilities that are deployed across the globe and in every state in the U.S. With a CBP workforce alone of more than 60,000 people (240,000-plus for DHS) encompassing more than a thousand sea, land, and airports, it is essential that the Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, Secretary, and Deputy Secretary can travel efficiently to facilities to maintain appropriate situational awareness across the department’s vast mission set and interact with the expansive workforce. Although CBP operates one of the largest aviation components of any domestic U.S. law enforcement agency, executives are prohibited from utilizing the agency’s aviation assets to facilitate official travel. Executives are required to fly on commercial airlines, and this requirement sig- nificantly limits their ability to have classified communications and takes them offline for extended periods of time. Border Patrol (BP) and OAM should be combined within CBP. BP has more than 20,000 personnel, and OAM has approximately 1,800. OAM’s assets are dedicated in support of BP operations the vast majority of the time, yet redundant approv- als, strategies, and independent hierarchal commands serve as impediments to efficient and practical resource deployments. CBP should restart and expand use of the horseback-mounted Border Patrol. As part of this announcement, the Secretary should clear the records and personnel files of those who were falsely accused by Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of whip- ping migrants and issue a formal apology on behalf of DHS and CBP. The Secretary should combine the Office of Trade (OT) and Trade Relations with the Office of Field Operations (OFO). The OT is the smallest of CBP’s compo- nents, and its operational counterpart, OFO, has a workforce of more than 30,000. — 140 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise OT’s function is interwoven with that of its OFO operational counterpart. Combin- ing OT with OFO would achieve streamlined operations and increase OT’s capacity and capability by leveraging OFO’s expansive resources. CBP, ICE, and USCIS all have authority to issue Notices to Appear (NTA) to removable aliens in their presence, which begins removal proceedings. In most instances, CBP should turn illegal aliens over to ICE for detention, and ICE can then issue any needed NTA. CBP should issue NTAs only in limited situations for humanitarian reasons, such as medical emergencies. In addition, CBP should eliminate use of Notices to Report (NTR) altogether. CBP’s established national standards of Transport, Escort, Detention, and Search (TEDS) have been widely interpreted and expanded by lower courts. This has resulted in unrealistic and differing detention standards for CBP facilities based on the jurisdiction within which they fall, negatively impacting operations. ICE has suffered similarly. A single nationwide detention standard should be codified that prevents individual states from mandating that federal government agencies adhere to widely expansive and ever-changing sets of standards. Such standards should allow the flexibility to use large numbers of temporary facilities such as tents. The annual costs associated with establishing and maintaining temporary facil- ities to address the flow of illegal migration and associated care, transportation, and processing are prohibitive, and CBP’s budget is inadequate. CBP is forced to forgo critical mission-essential endeavors to fund the additional associated costs. Often, this requires the reprogramming of funding at the DHS level, which has a negative impact on other DHS components’ operations. This predictable cost that has to be paid from existing CBP and DHS funding levels reduces CBP’s operational readiness and ability to accomplish its diverse and critical missions to protect the American people. The next President should request a realistic budget that fully pays for these costs. Increased funding is needed for BP to hire additional support personnel, which would relieve uniformed BP agents from administrative duties associated with processing aliens and allow them to return to their national security mission. Congress should increase funding for facility upgrades at strategic land Ports of Entry (POEs), including expanding state-of-the-art technology such as Non-Intru- sive Inspection equipment. Today, the cartels exploit the aging facilities and lack of adequate technology to smuggle illicit drugs, contraband, and more successfully through our nation’s POEs. U.S. IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT (ICE) Needed Reforms Since the formation of DHS, ICE has increasingly been tasked with auxiliary missions that have little or nothing to do with either immigration or customs

Department of Health and Human Services

Minimal
Vector: 58%
Pages: 512-514AI Enhanced

AI Analysis:

"The PEARL Act focuses on a CBP pilot program adopting shelter dogs for emotional support, which is unrelated to the Project 2025 HHS policies concerning child support, marriage promotion, and healthy relationship education."

— 479 — Department of Health and Human Services dads, and now as “disconnected” dads who do not commit to the mother and child. Child support in the United States should strengthen marriage as the norm, restore broken homes, and encourage unmarried couples to commit to marriage. Child Support Tax Credit. National or state guidelines and tax law should be updated to ensure that nonresident parents with child support orders can receive a nondependent, child support tax credit. Single filers of up to $41,756 and married or joint filers of up to $47,646 would be eligible for a child support tax credit similar to the current earned income tax credit. Filers could receive a maximum of $538 in annual returns for one child and a maximum of $3,584 in annual returns for two or more children (based on a credit rate of 34 percent). A child support tax credit would use the low-income, nonresident parents’ own earned income and history of employment to assist them further in the task of caring for their children. The key to this policy is that it empowers fathers with their own resources and money rather than creating another government assistance program (or a fully refundable credit) devoid of the father’s own monetary efforts. This way, the non- resident father’s role as financial provider and relational figure is affirmed, and much-needed financial resources are given to the children. Visitation. Visitation is key to revitalizing child support and increasing pay- ment frequency. The most effective way to lower a nonresident parent’s monthly child support order is to spend more court-accounted-for time with the child. For example, Texas combined its child support court with its visitation court to ensure that resident and nonresident parents received state-mandated financial support orders and enforceable visitation orders. Child Support Payment and Interactive Smartphone Application. Each state should be induced to implement a high-tech, easy-to-use application to cen- tralize child support payments. As with Venmo or Cash App, nonresident parents would link their bank accounts and provide one-click monthly payments (or con- tribute incrementally throughout the month while tracking how much is due). Additionally, the nonresident parents could track “informal” gifts from money, groceries, clothes, sports gear, and more through the app. This would address one of the main issues within current child support pay- ment systems: nonresident parents claim that they are spending much of their own money to provide for children outside of their monthly payments and resident parents’ claim that they spend little and neglect their official child support orders. Currently, only the latter claim can be tracked reliably. This process would enable nonresident parents to track the amount of informal support they provide and the reason for it while ensuring that the resident parent acknowledges and accepts the contribution. Healthy Marriage and Relationship Education (HMRE) Program. The HMRE program is part of the ACF Office of Family Assistance. The following pol- icies should be implemented. — 480 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise l Utilize HMRE funding or grants to provide state-level high school education resources and curriculum on healthy marriages, sexual risk avoidance, and healthy relationships. Early interventions and prevention are much more cost-effective than are efforts to reach people already in broken relationships. l Allow child welfare funding to be used for marriage and relationship education. Congress should adopt the following recommendation from a report issued by members of Congress’s Joint Economic Committee: Children are far more likely to experience abuse when they are raised outside of their married-parent family. Title II of the Child Abuse Preven- tion and Treatment Act provides grants to communities for the purpose of preventing child abuse and neglect, and one of the stated purposes for which the grants can be used is for efforts to increase family stability. However, Congress could change the law to make it clear that Title II funding can be used for healthy marriage and relationship education. Funding provided under Title IV-B of the Social Security Act—which provides grants to states for foster care and adoption services—can also be used for promoting healthy marriage. States should consider using some of their Title IV-B funding for providing healthy marriage and relationship education for families at risk of having their children placed in foster care.65 l Provide educational information on healthy marriage and relationships at Title X family planning clinics. HHS should require clinics it funds under Title X (family planning) to provide information to customers about the importance of marriage to family and personal well-being and refer them to available federal, state, and nonprofit marriage resources. l Ensure proper assessments with enough time to assess HMRE programs. Although some widely available assessments of HMRE programs report poor outcomes, many of these assessments either utilized a poor methodology or tried to measure program success prematurely. Recent assessments have shown increasing effectiveness and positive community- level marital outcomes.66 The HMRE program should receive a fair and realistic assessment. Additionally, the positive role of faith-based programs should be protected

Department of Agriculture

Minimal
Vector: 58%
Pages: 329-331AI Enhanced

AI Analysis:

"The PEARL Act concerns a CBP pilot program for shelter dogs as support animals, whereas the Project 2025 excerpt discusses Department of Agriculture subsidy reforms; there is no substantive policy overlap."

— 296 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise support went to just six commodities—corn, cotton, peanuts, rice, soybeans, and wheat—that together account for only 28 percent of farm receipts.32 Although many farmers do not receive much in the way of subsidies, especially those in the areas of livestock and specialty crops (fruit, vegetable, and nuts),33 there are still a sig- nificant number of farmers growing row crops like corn and cotton that do receive significant farm subsidies. The primary subsidy programs include the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) program,34 the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program,35 and the federal crop insur- ance program.36 Farmers can participate on a crop-by-crop basis in the ARC program or the PLC program. These programs cover about 20 different crops.37 The ARC program protects farmers from what are referred to as “shallow” losses, pro- viding payments when their actual revenues fall below 86 percent of the expected revenues for their crops.38 The PLC program provides payments to farmers when commodity prices fall below a fixed, statutorily established reference price.39 The federal crop insurance program is broader in scope than ARC and PLC, and in crop year 2019 covered 124 commodities.40 Farmers pay a portion of a premium to participate in the program. Taxpayers on average pay about 60 per- cent41 of the premium. As explained by CRS, “Revenue Protection was the most frequently purchased policy type in 2019, accounting for almost 70 [percent] of policies purchased.”42 While there are certainly other subsidy programs besides ARC, PLC, and federal crop insurance, one program that deserves special mention is the federal sugar program. This program, unlike most other subsidy programs, intentionally tries to restrict supply43 and thereby drives up prices. The program costs consumers as much as $3.7 billion a year.44 When it comes to reforming subsidy programs, the next Administration will primarily have to look to legislative solutions. The next Administration should champion legislation that would: l Repeal the federal sugar program. The federal government should not be in the central planning business, and the sugar program is a prime example of harmful central planning. Its very purpose is to limit the sugar supply in order to increase prices. The program has a regressive effect, since lower-income households spend more of their money to meet food needs compared to higher income households.45 l Ideally, repeal the ARC and PLC programs. Farmers eligible to participate in ARC or PLC are generally already able to purchase federal crop insurance, policies that protect against shortfalls in expected revenue whether caused by lower prices or smaller harvests. The ARC program is especially egregious because farmers are being protected from shallow — 297 — Department of Agriculture losses, which is another way of saying minor dips in expected revenue. This is hardly consistent with the concept of providing a safety net to help farmers when they fall on hard times. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), in one of its options to reduce the federal deficit, has once again identified repealing all Title I farm programs, including ARC, PLC, and the federal sugar program.46 l Stop paying farmers twice for price and revenue losses during the same year. Farmers can receive support from the ARC or PLC programs and the federal crop insurance program to cover price declines and revenue shortfalls during the same year. Congress should prohibit this duplication by prohibiting farmers from receiving an ARC or PLC payment the same year they receive a crop insurance indemnity. l Reduce the premium subsidy rate for crop insurance. On average, taxpayers cover about 60 percent47 of the premium cost for policies purchased in the federal crop insurance program. One of the most widely supported and bipartisan policy reforms is to reduce the premium subsidy that taxpayers are forced to pay.48 At a minimum, taxpayers should not pay more than 50 percent of the premium. After all, taxpayers should not have to pay more than the farmers who benefit from the crop insurance policies. CBO has found that reducing the premium subsidy to 47 percent would save $8.1 billion over 10 years and have little impact on crop insurance participation or on the number of covered acres.49 In that analysis, there would be a reduction in insured acres of just one-half of 1 percent, and only 1.5 percent of acres would have lower coverage levels. 50 This reform is basically all benefit with little to no cost. In its recently released report identifying options to reduce the federal deficit, CBO found that reducing the premium subsidy to 40 percent would save $20.9 billion over 10 years.51 Beyond these legislative reforms, the next Administration should: l Communicate to Congress the necessity of transparency and a genuine reform process. The White House and the USDA should make it very clear that the farm bill process, including reform of farm subsidies, must be con- ducted through an open process with time for mark-up and the opportunity for changes to be made outside the Agriculture Committee process. The farm bill too often is developed behind closed doors and without any chance for real reform. The White House, given the power of the bully pulpit,

Showing 3 of 5 policy matches

About These Correlations

Policy matches are calculated using a hybrid approach: initial candidates are found using semantic similarity between bill summaries and Project 2025 policy text, then an AI model (Llama 3.1 70B) provides detailed alignment ratings and analysis. Ratings range from 1 (minimal alignment) to 5 (very strong alignment). This analysis does not imply direct causation or intent.

Full Policy Text

Related Bills