DHS Dramatically Increased Spending to Obtain Weapons Last Year, Report Says

The Department of Homeland Security committed to spending more than $144 million on guns, ammunition and other weapons during the first year of the Trump administration in a “drastic increase” in resources, according to a report released Thursday by Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s spending commitment on weapons increased fourfold in 2025 from the previous year, while Customs and Border Protection’s contracts on weapons doubled when compared with 2024, according to the report, which looked at publicly available government contracting data.

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According to the report, the DHS spending included contracts worth “tens of millions of dollars” to buy lethal weapons that included assault-style rifles, pistols and related accessories such as optical sights for firearms and body armor. {snip}

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The spending commitments also included more than $30 million for ammunition and more than $25 million on less-lethal weapons and crowd-control devices, including tear gas canisters, pepper sprays and Tasers, according to the report.

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