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As the former chair of the Defense Subcommittee, I know firsthand what it takes to craft this bill.

I want to thank Chairman Calvert for his hard work.

I have no doubt this bill will strengthen our military and keep it focused on its mission.

The world around us is becoming more dangerous.

China is rapidly modernizing and becoming more aggressive in the Pacific, Russia continues its war against Ukraine, and Iran and North Korea are investing in ballistic missile capabilities.

We cannot afford to take these threats lightly.

We must provide the men and women of our military with the tools they need to defend our nation.

It sends a clear message that the United States is serious about investing in our capabilities, such as ammunition and ships, we will support our allies, and we are prepared to meet and defeat our enemies.

Let me begin by thanking the Members of the Committee for their participation in the process of putting the Homeland Security bill together.

We made a concerted effort to address as many Member priorities as possible.

Our job on this Committee is to provide the resources required to keep our nation safe. This bill ensures that the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security, who work tirelessly on our behalf, have the resources and tools they need to protect this great nation.

The bill before us today provides $62.8 billion within the Subcommittee's budget allocation, and $20.3 billion for major disaster response and recovery activities.

The total within the allocation is $2.1 billion above the Fiscal Year 2023 level.

Appropriations bills communicate priorities; we must invest in border security and immigration enforcement.

I want to start by saying the work we did last week shows how we are able to reduce spending where we can and prioritize funding for our core responsibilities.

That includes our national defense, veterans, and the bill before us: homeland security.

I want to thank Chairman Joyce for his hard work on this bill.

It provides what is needed to protect our homeland and address the ongoing crisis at our border.

Specifically, the bill:

First, I want to thank the Subcommittee Chairman for his work on the Legislative Branch appropriations bill.

This bill is a great example of what needs to be done to reduce overall spending while funding our highest priorities.

This bill responsibly reduces funding for the Legislative Branch by 2%.

This is done without impacting the day-to-day operations of Congress or sacrificing the security of the Capitol complex.

It supports our brave Capitol police officers.

It also ensures that the House of Representatives can keep a close watch on the actions of this Administration.

This bill strikes the right balance, and I look forward to getting it passed out of committee today.

I want to close by thanking all the members and staff – majority and minority – for their hard work on this bill.

Thank you, Chairwoman Granger.

I would like to start by saying thank you to our Ranking Member, Mr. Espaillat. His cooperation and patience as we have moved through the process this year is greatly appreciated.

Thank you to the Chairwoman, Ms. Granger for your leadership getting the Legislative Branch bill to this point, and Ranking Member DeLauro for all your support of the Legislative Branch.

The Fiscal Year 2024 Legislative Branch Appropriations bill provides $5.313 billion – a 4.5 percent decrease from the fiscal year 2023 enacted House levels and a 2.2 percent decrease in total allocation when you add in Senate items.