HR 9824: Daycare Not Detentions Act of 2026

HR 9824 in plain English: This bill would rescind $70 billion in funding previously provided to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and redirect that same $70 billion to federal child care programs administered by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), with funds available through FY2029.

Stated purpose

This bill moves $70 billion in unspent funding away from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection and directs it instead to federal child care programs, including Head Start, child care block grants, and preschool development grants, available through 2029.

Key points

• Rescinds $70 billion in unobligated funding from ICE and CBP
• Provides $25.5 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant
• Provides $24 billion for Head Start programs
• Provides $20 billion for the Child Care Entitlement to States
• Provides $500 million for Preschool Development Grants

Arguments supporters make

• Billions in immigration enforcement funds are sitting unspent while millions of families struggle to afford child care — redirecting that money puts it to immediate, practical use for children.
• Investing in early childhood programs like Head Start has long been shown to improve children's educational and health outcomes, making this a better long-term use of public dollars.
• Child care costs are a major burden on working families, and this funding would help lower-income parents afford care and stay in the workforce.

Arguments opponents make

• Stripping $70 billion from border security and immigration enforcement would leave those agencies unable to carry out their legal responsibilities to enforce immigration law and secure the border.
• Congress already voted to fund ICE and CBP at those levels through the Secure America Act — this bill would override that decision and undermine commitments already made to border security.
• Reallocating enforcement funds through a separate bill sets a precedent for using rescissions to override prior spending priorities, which could disrupt long-term agency planning and operations.

Tradeoffs

The bill directly trades funding for immigration enforcement against funding for child care and early education, meaning more resources for one priority come entirely at the cost of the other. Supporters and critics disagree about which investment better serves the public, but the bill cannot expand child care funding without cutting border and immigration agency budgets by the same amount.

Current status in Congress: In committee.

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