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The subject of today’s hearing is the Fiscal Year 2027 budget requests for the Library of Congress and the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO). Today’s hearing marks the beginning of the Subcommittee’s Fiscal Year 2027 appropriations hearing season. In addition to our hearings being broadcast live, this hearing will include a closed captioning option. Last year the House Modernization and Innovation Subcommittee recommended this technology for all committees across the House. As the Chairman of the Subcommittee that provides the funding for modernization projects, I was pleased to approve the funds, providing greater accessibility to those participating in committee hearings.

Good afternoon and thank you to my colleagues for joining us to provide their testimony on the Fiscal Year 2027 Interior and Environment appropriations bill. I look forward to hearing more about the projects and programs in the bill that are important to your districts and to communities across the country. Your input will be critical as we work to fund the agencies under this Subcommittee’s jurisdiction including the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Forest Service, the Indian Health Service, and several others.

As the Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee, I rise today in strong support for the Fiscal Year 2026 Homeland Security Appropriations bill. Later today we will vote on this bill for the second time in two months. It shouldn't be necessary. The Committee negotiated a full-year bill on a bicameral and bipartisan basis. Our bill includes reforms like funding for body-worn cameras and de-escalation training, but the Senate Democrats continue to insist on radical proposals which would prevent the enforcement of immigration law. So, it's disappointing that we must cajole our Democratic colleagues to support this bipartisan bill once again, but here we are.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I consume. Once again, we are here on the House floor amidst a government shutdown. The bill before us isn't new – in fact, we debated this very same bill just two months ago. It reflects the bipartisan, bicameral agreement that Senate Democrats – at the last minute – failed to honor. Shutting down the Department of Homeland Security over a partisan fight hasn't changed the stakes. But maybe, knowing how critical it is to keep the homeland safe at this heightened moment, Democrats will side with reason and protecting the nation. No matter the question, shutdowns are never the answer.