H.R. 176 would make an alien (a non-U.S. national) inadmissible to or deportable from the United States if that person is a member of Hamas or participated in or materially supported the attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023. Those people also would be ineligible for any form of relief from deportation under U.S. immigration law, including asylum and withholding of removal. Lastly, H.R. 176 would require the Department of Homeland Security to report annually to the Congress on the number of people it finds inadmissible and removable under the bill.

Under current law, engaging in terrorist activity, endorsing or espousing terrorist activity, or being a member of or supporting a terrorist organization makes an alien inadmissible to and deportable from the United States. Those activities also make an alien ineligible for asylum and statutory withholding of removal. Therefore, CBO expects that only a few people would be affected based solely on enacting this bill.

Enacting H.R. 176 would reduce direct spending because aliens are eligible for certain federal benefits, such as emergency Medicaid, if they otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for those benefits. Because a small number of people would be affected by the bill, CBO estimates that those effects would not be significant over the 2025-2035 period.

Based on the costs of similar activities, CBO estimates that implementing the bill’s reporting requirements would cost less than $500,000 over the 2025-2030 period. Any related spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Jeremy Crimm. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.