UASI Act

Key Points

• This bill would change how major cities qualify for federal security grants. To receive Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) funding, cities would have to spend at least 30% of their grant money on five specific national priorities including cybersecurity, election security, and border enforcement.
• Cities would be required to dedicate at least 10% of their total grant to immigration enforcement activities, including training local police to identify and process removable noncitizens, cooperating with ICE detainers, and sharing information with ICE through secure networks.
• The bill also mandates that at least 3% of each grant go toward election security, aimed at better defending voting systems and local election infrastructure against threats.
• Cities that don't comply with the new spending requirements could lose their grant money entirely, have up to 30% of their award frozen, or be banned from future UASI grants — a serious penalty for cities that rely on this funding for counterterrorism and emergency preparedness.
• The new rules would take effect starting in fiscal year 2027 and are designed to be permanent, codifying current administrative priorities into law so they can't be easily changed by future administrations or court orders.