In accordance with the Council of Governors (Council) Consultative Budget Agreement, the Council engages with the Department of Defense as representatives of the states, territories and District of Columbia to exchange views, information, and provide advice on programming and budgetary priorities and requirements as it relates to matters pertaining to the National Guard, homeland defense, civil support activity, and synchronization and integration of state and federal military activities in the United States; and other matters of mutual interest pertaining to these efforts.
With the increasing pace of cyberattacks, concurrent and rapidly intensifying disasters, and ongoing conflict overseas, federal-state cooperation is vital to homeland defense and civil support that protect and mitigate against threats. In support of these efforts, the Council has identified the following priorities for the FY25-27 budget process:
Department of Defense
- Increase funding for National Guard recruitment
- Increase Army National Guard Full-Time Support
- Predictable funding for State Partnership Programs
- Increase funding for investment in National Guard facilities, including meeting electrification needs and other climate-neutrality goals
- Fully fund the provision of health care to individual Guardmembers as a Guardmember benefit equivalent to benefits for active duty servicemembers
- Funding for Nationwide Integration of Timing Resiliency for Operations
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
- Increase resources for border security focused on preventing and disrupting drug and human trafficking
- Continued and increased funding for DHS Intelligence & Analysis to support shared intelligence among federal, state, and local partners
- Continued and increased funding for the State Homeland Security Program and Urban Area Security Initiatives
- Funding for non-profit security grants
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
- Increase grants for hardening critical infrastructure and municipal systems
- Establish resources for state cybersecurity response to cyber incidents
- Increase funds for states to establish/expand cybersecurity education and training in K-12
- Establish training and education resources for municipalities
Federal Emergency Management Agency
- Increase mitigation and resilience funding and increase flexibility in how states can use these funds
- Establish and fund sustainable disaster management and recovery systems for damage reports/intake and case management
