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Thank you, my good friend, Mr. Diaz-Balart, for having us think about what's happening right now. We all work together and develop these bills that are so important, but we also work together as family. So thank you for that recognition. I know we're thinking about Chairman Price.

this bill is important because it has programs that will keep our roads and airways safe and invest in critical assets like ports, airports, and highways. It's a very important bill.

Thank you, Madam Chair, for yielding.

First, I want to thank Chair Mccollum and Ranking Member Calvert for their work on the fiscal year 2023 Defense Appropriations Bill.

As the former chair of this subcommittee, I know how much hard work went into drafting this bill, and I also want to acknowledge the committee staff.

I appreciate that Chair Mccollum has included many Republican priorities in this bill. I know this was not easy because your allocation is so low.

Thank you, Chair McCollum. I would first like to commend you for your diligent and detailed work in crafting the bill before us today. I would also like to recognize and thank all the members of the subcommittee for their hard work and commitment to our national security.

Since March, we have held 18 hearings with senior leaders to consider the needs of the Department of Defense. This work, along with careful budget analysis done by the staff and Members of the committee, culminates in today's markup the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2023. Additionally, over the last five months, this committee has done all that it can to support the free and democratic nation of Ukraine, but these actions should not be mistaken for success.

Madam Chair, thank you for yielding.

As we sit here today, inflation is 8.6 percent above last year, the highest it's been in more than 40 years. Economists are saying American households should budget an extra $5,000 this year to cover rising prices – that's over $400 a month. Many families simply cannot afford this.

Prices of everyday goods have skyrocketed over the last year under the Biden Administration. For example:

Thank you, Madam Chair, for yielding.

Before I start, I want to recognize the subcommittee chair, Mr. Ryan. This is the last Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill he will bring before this committee, and I want to thank him for his dedication to improving the Congress during his time as chair.

Now to the bill before us – I want to thank Chairman Ryan and Ranking Member Herrera Beutler for their work and also acknowledge the efforts of the committee staff.

Thank you, Madam Chair, for yielding, and for your work on the fiscal year 2023 State-Foreign Operations appropriations bill. I also want to recognize the work of the former chairman of the committee and the current ranking member of the subcommittee, Mr. Rogers.

I previously served as chair of this subcommittee and know that this bill funds many programs that have bipartisan support – the most important being the funding for Israel. I am pleased to see that Chairwoman Lee has included $3.3 billion for Israel's security.

Even though we can agree on some spending priorities in the bill, the 15 percent funding increase overall is far too high and is based on a funding level that passed the House without support from Republicans. At a time of record-high national debt and soaring inflation, we should try to reduce spending where we can.