DHS Centers of Excellence to Close if Trump Budget Cuts Pass Congress

The Department of Homeland Security may close two Centers of Excellence and delay the planned launch of three other centers if Congress approves President Trump’s fiscal 2020 budget proposal, FedScoop reported Thursday. 

William Bryan, senior official performing the duties of the undersecretary of DHS Science and Technology Directorate, announced the plan at a recent meeting with the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection and Innovation. Trump proposed $582.1 million for S&T for the next fiscal year, a figure far from the agency’s $813.1 million budget in FY18. 

“All the Centers of Excellence provide value,” Bryan said. “Tough decisions have to be made when you have to reduce your budget.”

He said that the Coastal Resilience COE led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill would be one of the two centers at risk of closure if DHS fails to secure the budget. The center has managed government projects focused on maritime domain awareness. The House is expected to reject the majority of Trump’s proposed budget cuts, while Senate lawmakers expressed their support for the president’s proposal.