A $170 million fund allocated by Congress to combat China's illegal fishing operations remained entirely unspent by the Trump administration, a report from Punchbowl News reveals. The funds, part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, were intended to neutralize the growing threat of Beijing's maritime aggression to U.S. national security.
Instead of deploying the money to curb illegal Chinese fishing, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) repurposed the majority of the funds for security at major sporting events, including FIFA World Cup matches, and for America's 250th birthday celebrations. These shifts in fund allocation occurred under former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
A senior congressional insider and an administration official confirmed to Punchbowl News that millions designated for policing Chinese ships were instead used for stadium security and crowd management. Senator Ted Cruz, who initially secured the $170 million for 'maritime domain awareness' technology aimed at tracking Chinese vessels, expressed frustration with the reallocation.
"Unfortunately, the bulk of the funding has not gone where it needed to go," Cruz stated, without specifying the exact diversion.
According to the report, approximately $155 million of the $170 million fund was spent on counter-drone technology, including advanced sensors, to protect large crowds at the World Cup soccer games and the America 250 pageants. The remaining funds were reportedly used for Coast Guard communications equipment and a digital upgrade for Merchant Marine credentials.
In a separate but related effort, a bipartisan group of senators, led by Cruz, sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Thursday. They urged the immediate imposition of sanctions on 29 supply ships supporting China's illegal fishing fleet, warning that such actions would expose those involved to financial and reputational risks, thereby hindering Beijing's operations.
The senators described China's lawless fishing activities as a "global horror show" and warned that the scale of these operations constitutes "ecocide conducted via gross human rights abuses." DHS did not respond to a request for comment regarding the report.
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